July 22 - Alley Pride (& Caught in the Act)

On June 3, 2006, I wrote about community ownership. Over the last few weeks, I have seen inspiring events and examples of our neighborhoods stepping up to improve the aesthetic appeal of our streets and alleys through cleanups and social gatherings.

This past weekend, I had the good fortune of joining the Rosedale Citizens Alliance in their cleanup of the streets and alleys surrounding 18th and D Streets, NE. With a turnout numbering close to 20 concerned residents, along with MPD and DPW, the Saturday morning cleanup crew piled up bags of discarded refuse that were gathered by both attendees and passersby that joined in to participate. A special note of appreciation is in order for Lance, Patrick, Ken, Stephanie, Monica, Kevin, Justin, and the many other volunteers that made the event so successful!



Caught in the Act: I should also note that two of the Will Cobb for Ward 6 volunteers participating in the event, Sondra Gilbert and Charles Fisher, stepped up and took matters into their own hands when confronted with an individual caught in the act of illegal dumping. Specifically, a contractor driving a car with Maryland tags was caught emptying his trunk of solidified refuse concrete in the alley just south of E Street, NE. Sondra confronted the individual and stepped around the back of his car to record his license plate. He drove off in a hurry upon recognizing Sondra's intent to ensure his illegal deed did not go unpunished. MPD and DPW, engaged in the cleanup, were called to the scene, with MPD quickly running a trace on the license plate. The vehicle was a rental that had been picked up in Maryland earlier that morning. Both MPD and DPW wrote citations, one for $500 and one for $1000 respectively, which were to be waiting with the rental agent upon the vehicle's return. A hats off to Sondra and Charles for stepping in to ensure this contractor will think twice before using Ward 6 alleys as a free dumping ground.

Current State: Having engaged in alley cleanups throughout Ward 6, having raced through the alleys north of H Street in pursuit of a criminal, and having made a point of walking alleys with residents in some of our neglected neighborhoods, one thing is clear. The current state of many Ward 6 alleys is extremely discouraging. As a haven for illicit activity, as a flood nuisance during heavy rain, and as often-neglected resident passageways, we must:

1. Ensure all alleys are paved (a large percentage of alleys off of Capitol Hill remain unpaved)
2. Equip our alleys for water runoff and drainage (many residents are blocked in by significant accumulating water during heavy rains)
3. Increase alley pride - they are an extension of our streets and they should reflect the same level of cleanliness that we are striving to achieve on our streets.

July 10, 2006 - WashPost Letter to the Editor (Sursum Corda Eminent Domain)

I am outraged to think of what could happen to the residents of Sursum Corda, a private collaborative, if the City Council’s proposed bill 16-551, is passed on Tuesday, July 11. Sursum Corda has aggressively moved forward with a private developer to enable the collaborative to redevelop their land in conjunction with the District’s Northwest One initiative. However, the District is trying to take over the entire redevelopment of Northwest One, guaranteeing the existing residents a ‘right to return’ upon construction completion in 5-7 years. We all know that we will see very few of these proud residents in the District after they are scattered to Maryland, Virginia and beyond in the ensuing upheaval.

In my view, eminent domain should only be used for the public good when there really are no other options. In this case, we are bypassing the best option of all, where the residents of Sursum Corda come together with a private developer to lift themselves and their entire community up, yielding a fully integrated, more prosperous community, of which today’s residents will be a key component. Sursum Corda and their joint venture could be a role model for the rest of the District and the rest of the country. This should be viewed as an opportunity that would enable our longtime residents to lift themselves and their neighbors up by increasing their accountability and ownership in the community. I have knocked on every door in the community and their message is clear. Sursum Corda residents have the heart and spirit to see this through and I am confident that their increased stake and accountability will yield powerful results that will benefit all of Northwest One, Ward 6, and the District.

Respectfully,

Will Cobb

Democratic Candidate for Ward 6 City Council

July 2, 2006 - Streets in Distress

Public safety has been a top priority of mine long before I entered this race. Far too many of us have seen or been victimized by criminals in our neighborhoods. This afternoon, as I spoke with a resident of 12th Street, NE, I had the extreme displeasure of witnessing another Ward 6 shooting.

The victim was a customer of Horace and Dickey’s. He was struck once in the leg as he exited the store. In checking with the MPD 1st District a short time ago, the victim is reported to be recovering well. I will continue to stay abreast of his progress through the MPD and will work with the U.S. Attorney's office to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice.

As the shooter fled the scene, a tense moment occurred as he and I crossed paths. My immediate focus, of course, was on the injured man. After ensuring the victim was stable, I immediately contacted the authorities and ended up combing the alleyways with our First District force in search of gunman. The pursuit went on only for so long, until the two officers I was with were pulled off the search for another reported shooting. Sadly, some days with MPD are just that way...

It is clear that many of our Ward 6 neighborhoods remain in crisis; my door-knocking and meeting attendance tells me that everyday. We must get the rest of our population engaged because it impacts each of us, whether we choose to confront it or not. The problem is that the longer the majority of our residents ignore it, the more of us will be affected as it invades our neighborhoods. It should not take each Ward 6 resident to be an eyewitness to our day-to-day street violence to realize we must attack this together. While education remains my key focal point, and will provide long-term solutions to this problem, we must attack our public safety in :

1. Increased officer presence through more resources
2. Increased access to youth-to-work and youth recreational facilities and programs
3. More community engagement to improve citizen awareness and responsiveness - we must capitalize on the efforts of our citizen activists (e.g., Stephanie Nixon, Vanessa Ruffin, Mark Dixon, David Sobelsohn, Al Coles, and so many more) to share the burden and jointly combat this Ward 6 crisis.