Our area has experienced decline in crime over the past 5 years. It is note worthy for our safety to note the increase in recent robberies taking place within the outskirts of our neighborhood. Many of the robberies have take place toward Rhode Island, but recently we are experiencing robberies closer to us.
Friday for example there was a robbery hold up at gun point around 5pm at the corner of N. Capitol ST NW and Florida Ave NW. I received the text message from DC Alert and went outside to see if I saw anyone matching the suspects’ description. I did see 2 bicycled police officers patrolling First ST NW and alleys.
Most concerning was the robbery on Friday, October 2 at 4pm at the 1600 block of New Jersey Ave. NW. The suspects were: a black male, 18-20 wearing a black coat and armed with a shotgun and the 2nd was a black male 18-20 wearing a torn white shirt. The suspects were seen fleeing on foot in the alley at 4th Street & New Jersey Avenue, NW.
There have also been numerous other robberies around 3rd ST NW and Q ST as well as 4th and Q. Please use caution when walking your dogs, jogging or walking.
Safety tips:
1. Walk, jog or walk your dogs with a friend or neighbor if possible.
2. Stay on main, well populated streets.
3. Avoid alleys and dead end streets.
4. Keep your Ipod music low enough so that you may be able to hear someone approaching.
5. Trust your gut. If you feel someone coming down the street looks suspicious, change sides or streets.
6. Do not resist if you happen to be robbed. You don’t know if suspects may be armed or violent.
7. Always let someone know where you’re going and when you should be back.
Sign up to receive text message alerts from DC police at:
https://textalert.ema.dc.gov/mygroups.php
Bates Area Civic Association 
how could there be a robbery at the corner of north capitol and first street? the two roads don’t cross.
i see you made a correction, changing it to floridian ave. still not perfect, but better…
Thanks for the correction.I hope you actually find the content of the article useful.
“6. Do not resist if you happen to be robbed. You don’t know if suspects may be armed or violet.”
Violet? I would make a joke but I’m sleepy and need to get off the internet.
GO to bed Mari. 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for hosting this blog. It’s good to know that there’s someone out there who loves the neighborhood as much as we do and care enough to reflect that online.
Anyway, last month, my apartment located at the 2700 block of 4th Street NE, between the hours of 9 AM and 6 PM, was robbed. They took jewelery and 2 laptops. It was brazen and shook my girlfriend and I to the core. The incident has prompted us to seriously consider leaving the neighborhood.
In addition to that, a little over a year ago, my car was broken into right in front of my apartment.
And a year before that, while living in Edgewood Terrace, I came home one afternoon to find a bullet hole in my bedroom window.
I filed police reports for all of these crimes.
To my point–I agree that crime stats for the area may show a decline, but not for me. If anything, despite all it’s good, I see Brookland and Edgewood in a state of spiraling decline–Home values are up, the whites are moving in everywhere, and it seems like (and this is just my opinion) that the young blacks in the neighborhood (lacking guidance and positive alternatives) are looking at the whites as easy targets. I’m not white. I’m black, but when I was robbed, I’m sure that wasn’t necessarily on the mind of the robber, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an underlying cause for the robbery. I’m not sure where I’m going with this. I wish I had a solution, but I don’t. Anyway, thanks for the forum.