Bates Area Civic Association

Dear Neighbors –

 As of July 4^th, we have had 4 assaults within a 3 block radius.

1. A man was beaten in the morning on July 4^th at the corner of P and First St NW. This was done by 3 young men, possibly juveniles.
2.  Wednesday, July 13^th, someone was assaulted at the unit block of Bates St NW during the afternoon hours. Group of young men that ran towards N. Capitol St.
3. Thursday, July 14^th. A man was robbed and badly beaten by a group of about 6 around 10pm.
4. Thursday, July 21^st. Robbery at gun point P and First St NW by a young male, 18-23 years of age.
5. There have been home burglaries as well.

 Metropolitan Police has had a significant increase in presence and has made a record number of arrests for drug possession and distribution. MPD cannot be every where all the time however. We need to also take some basic precautions to prevent a repeat of last summer (see July/August 2010 crimes). Here are some of the things you can do to keep yourself and the neighborhood safe:

1. Put your phone away when walking around. You are distracted and not aware of your surrounding if you are reading your email or texting when walking home from work. If you are distracted and cannot provide a good description of your assailant to MPD if you happen to be a victim of crime.
2. Put the Ipod away. If you are too busy listening to music, someone could be walking behind you and jump you without you will never hear them coming.
3. Quit flashing your Iphone, Ipod, or Ipad. Remember, keeping those items in plain sight is like flashing 3 to 6 $100 bills to everyone that can see you.
4. Join the neighborhood safety walks. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm neighbors meet at the corner of P and First for an hour walk. Again, I know we are all busy or don’t like to get involved,  if you don’t get involved,  who will? MPD can help us take back the neighborhood, but it is up to us to keep it.  
5. Join the Neighborhood Crime Watch/Block Captain Program. Email me for more information. We need Block Captains.

 I will follow up with MPD to ensure we continue our community partnership, but we need our neighbors to get involved.

Below are the 2010 July and August Crimes in the Bates Area Civic Association Area. In the 2 month period, we had 12 assaults with deadly weapons, robberies and assaults.

Geovani A. Bonilla

Bates Area Civic Association