The biggest gripe I have with the Eastern Shaw or Truxton Circle area is the perceived sense of lawlessness by some of the people that pass through the borders. I’m not talking about the dealing, shooting, etc. It’s the little things that I just can’t get my head around. The other morning on the way to work, I looked down the alley and saw a nicely dressed man walk a little ways towards a trash can, look at me and then proceed to do his business while I stood and stared. He looked at me and I made a point at stopping to stare at him. Didn’t phase him. He zipped up and walked off.
I’ve seen plenty of crackheads leave “presents” for the residents. But it kills me when I see someone who should know and act better think that they can just void their waste wherever they choose. This man was a customer at one of the take-outs and was not your stereotypical looking crackhead. He may have been a crackhead, but my crackhead-radar tells me he was not.
I value diversity. But is having to tolerate people using streets like a restroom a consequence of a diverse neighborhood? I haven’t decided on that yet. Maybe a signal a neighborhood has turned is when the streets are no longer frequently used as restrooms. (Yes, I know that bar hoppers in Adams Morgan and Georgetown do this at night.)
What ever happened to shame? Is that something that you have to teach people?