2008 InShaw Year in Review

Looking back at the 2008 posts so far there are a few themes that stand out, and some that don’t but I’m bringing them forward anyways.
First are houses, houses for sale, houses that are abandoned and vacant, houses that are just plain ugly. Before the Wall Street apocalypse Shaw was experiencing the rise of foreclosures. We had attracted many investors who discovered the limits of HGTV and easy financing, that limit being psycho high prices that no one in their right mind would buy at and mortgages that no rent would cover. Then there were houses that weren’t even fixed up that were placed on the block and we hoped, and are still hoping, that some one will fix them and get people living in them. Then there are the ugly re-dos, the pop-ups or pop-tops. The still horribly ugly pop-up at 26 P St NE that I blogged about in February is still there, still unoccupied and still ugly. I also took a look at vacant properties around the TC, which also had me looking at tax rates to see if those vacant houses were being taxed higher. Looking at taxes, I discovered dead people pay real estate tax at the senior citizen rate.
History has fallen as a topic over the year, I can’t say that I’ll get better. Earlier in 2008 I blogged about older photos of Shaw found, Bates Street, and the Shaw School Urban Renewal Area. A particular highlight was locating the language of the Redevelopment Act which laid out the borders of the Shaw neighborhood, which includes Logan Circle, U Street, and Truxton Circle. Speaking of the TC, the argument over the name died down (a bit) after the banners appeared on street signs in July.
In the area of commerce we saw several wonderful things opening and changing in Bloomingdale, which is just next door to the TC. Timor opened up with a few shelves and the milk that we all love. Big Bear got even more popular. The Bloomingdale Farmers Market just kept getting better and better, adding more vendors and remaining neighborly. The historic KFC also known as the bulletproof KFC closed. Luciana Cafe opened along North Cap in the TC, but the TC being the TC doesn’t have a lot of businesses opening, so we got excited.
Crime was still doing a cha-cha of two steps forward one big step back. Earlier in the year I didn’t write too much about crime. Also the long standing problems and nuisances of young men hanging out (possibly selling drugs) were slowly getting better. I noticed that the crowds of hanger-outers were getting smaller and less frequent. Gunshots were getting less frequent as well. Fireworks started later, and ended closer to the end of July. However, starting in Fall muggings and street beatings seemed to go up. Then there was the fatal stabbing at 3rd and R and the murder at 11th and Q. Also in the fall/winter period I posted the faces of two wanted men, who thankfully were captured.
Quickly skimming over politics, Mayor Fenty had been spotted at a BACA meeting and at Big Bear. I and other bloggers interviewed Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Jessica Lanza challenged Doris Brooks, but sadly did not win. But the 2C stalemate ended with the win of Theresa Sule. Michael A$$hat Brown got elected as a wink-wink independent on the city council.
There was a bunch of other things. I got central air. People started giving me booze and I was glad. KIPP looking at JF Cook. Lots more. But this is long enough.
Happy New Year.