Thursday, August 6, 2009

Mayor Adrian M Fenty signed the Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 at Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th St. NW, and gave extended remarks following his press release on the impact the crime bill will have on Shaw and other communities with violent crime problems. He was joined by MPD Chief Cathly Lanier, Attorney General Peter J. Nickles, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D Phillips, and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans who also gave brief remarks.

"This legislation will help us with the tools that we need to take the people off our streets who are the last group of people who are out here terrorizing our neighborhoods. ... There's just a small group left and it's time for us to take care of that small group and make our communities safer.”
— Chief Cathy Lanier

"There was a lot of resistance ... on the City Council particularly with the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr Mendelson, who didn't want to go forward with this thing. ... We did not get the gang provisions which is really a loss and that's on Mr Mendleson who did not want to do it. ... We are still having gang problems in this neighborhood as well as other neighbohoods in the city. ... I hope at some point we can revisit that and get those civil gang provisions in law because if there's something that would really help us here, that's what it's going to be.”
— Councilmember Jack Evans

Note: Councilmember Phil Mendleson has been personally invited several times over the past six months to speak with the CCCA about crime problems in Shaw, but neither he or his office has acknowledged our requests. It would be interesting to know if he has a plan or any interest in eliminating the gang problems in Shaw and the rest of the city and how he hopes to protect citizens who want to live free of the fear of violent crime around our homes, parks, churches and schools.