safety in numbers, kids
The Washington Post has an interesting story today about which neighborhoods have the highest robbery rates in the city.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that muggings in Adams Morgan, U Street, and Columbia Heights spike wildly on Friday and Saturday nights, but the sheer frequency of them startled me. The presence of large numbers of drunk yuppies, I suppose, makes a big difference.
Be sure to check out the graphic, which includes not only a map with the data on it, but also some tips from the Metropolitan PD about how to avoid being mugged, and what to do if you’re being mugged. It all kind of boils down to… don’t be a moron, and remember what your mother used to tell you.
Not quite “don’t be a moron”. More like, don’t travel alone at any time of the day anywhere in NW. The sheer sprawl of crime, the spread over all times of day, and the randomness of who they attack and when and how they strike make it impossible to live safely in this city.
As much I loathe young drunk yuppies, they aren’t the problem here, except that they attract the outsiders (young men from outside the neighborhood) who see easier victims. “During the first six months of the year, about 40 percent of juveniles arrested in robberies and other crimes in neighborhoods just north of downtown did not live there, police said.”
And the best advice really boils down to: If you’re a white person living in NW, carry a gun so you have a way defend yourself. Hehe.