I have a lot of hopes for next year. I hope that the mayoral race works out well. I hope that the Mondie project works out in a way that it is profitable for him and suitable for the residents of Square 507. I hope that somebody or groups of somebodies in the DC govt realize that having a concentration of group homes in a transitional area doesn’t help the clients the residents living near the group homes.*
This is not a year in review post, but the last year wasn’t all that bad for the eastern end of Shaw. Well compared to the years before. In the past there were more dealers hanging out, nastier crackho’s, and more rowdy houses. Each year the neighborhood gets a bit calmer, and I hope that gives those of you who come to Truxton and Mount Vernon Square hope that things will get better. Because they have gotten better, at a snail’s pace, and after some battles won and lost, but still better.
* Okay now tell me if this is a good idea… You’ve gotten a drug addicted prostitute off the street and in a group home, a few feet from her old dealers and johns. Tell me how much time will it be before she’s hookin’ and smoking again?
Yep, it’s like holding an AA meeting in a bar. But, typically the real estate is cheap and the neighbors don’t have enough clout to complain effectively.
*Isn’t that the example the dictionary gives under the definition of “bad idea”?