This walk-up vaccination site is in the District. The other five are spread out among each quadrant of the city.

The library vaccination site is open to all residents ages 5 and up for the Pfizer vaccine. For residents 18 and above, the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available and the flu vaccine is available for residents ages 3 and up.

There were nearly 25 people in the basement of the library on Thursday night and a line of a dozen people outside 鈥� around half of them children 鈥� waiting to get in for their shots. Security guards handed people clipboards for them to complete personal information such as addresses and medical conditions. Then residents waited until there was enough room in the basement to get their shot.

When residents were brought inside, they sat six feet apart with masks on while waiting for medical staff to call them over to receive their vaccines. The whole process took about 30 minutes.

Tiana Lawrence, a Petworth resident, brought her two children so they could receive their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Her son is six years old and her daughter is eight. Lawrence said the new walk-up site is convenient because it鈥檚 close to her home and her children鈥檚 school, so she had time to stop by amid all the holiday planning she has had to do.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to me that my kids are protected and same with the rest of my family,鈥� Lawrence said. 鈥淓veryone in my family ages 12 and up are already vaccinated.鈥�

Lawrence said it was especially important that her children get vaccinated so they can 鈥渞eturn to normal.鈥� She said last week there were only six children in her son鈥檚 class , as opposed to the normal nearly 20 children, because so many of them were not able to get the vaccine and were exposed to COVID-19 or had to be quarantined.

鈥淭his whole thing is really affecting us at home,鈥� Lawrence said. 鈥淪chool just hasn鈥檛 been the same for them and if this will help, I want to do it.鈥�

Like Lawrence, Tom Pavarini, a 27-year-old Petworth resident, said the new walk-up location was also convenient for him.

鈥淚 just learned about this on Twitter a few hours ago and I was like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go! Why not?.鈥欌��

NEW: DC Health now has the full schedule for walk-up vaccine sites on so people can plan ahead to get their vaccine or booster!

Note the Start/Last Day for each site so you don’t go on the wrong day.

Thank you for following up on my request!

鈥� CM Janeese Lewis George (@CMLewisGeorgeW4)

Pavarini said he was waiting to get his booster shot and was glad there was a place close enough to do so, especially because he鈥檒l be coming in contact with more people than usual this holiday season. He said the process was 鈥渟uper easy鈥� because as soon as he arrived at the library, he was helped by the security guards.

Pavarini鈥檚 roommate, 28-year-old Andrew Ceruzzi, came with Pavarini to get his booster shot.

鈥淸Pavarini] told me he saw we could get our boosters here, so we just walked over and here we are,鈥� Ceruzzi said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really nice that it鈥檚 so close.鈥�

Petworth Library will be open for walk-up vaccinations on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m.-7 p.m. The last walk-ups will be accepted 15 minutes before closure. Vaccinations will be offered until Jan. 29, 2022.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad people are here, Lawrence said. 鈥淭his is the right thing to do to keep everyone safe.鈥�

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Crews are groups of individuals that come from a common block or street and often have tight family connections and roots to the area, said Jasmin Benab, director of community outreach for Mayor Muriel Bower鈥檚 office.

Crews are informal groups compared to gangs. Whereas gangs often have leaders who instruct other members to execute violence, Benab said crews instead carry out their business in a more unorganized manner, often starting on social media.

Washington, D.C., has so far reached 204 homicides this year, a 17-year-high, according to .聽Petworth has seen 90 assaults with a dangerous weapon this year as of Nov. 29, surpassing last year鈥檚 78 instances, according to , a data filtering tool offered by MPD.

D.C. has reached a grim milestone: There have been 200 homicides in the District. The city has not seen this many homicides in 17 years.

鈥� Debra Feinstein (@DFeinsteinWTOP)

Benab said the cause of the uptick of crew violence cannot be pinpointed to one concrete source. She said the violence seems to stem from arguments between crews regarding who can sell drugs in certain territories. Unrelated physical fights between crews also spill out into the streets, she said.

鈥淪ome of these kids don鈥檛 even know what they鈥檙e fighting for,鈥� Benab said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really sad.鈥�

Benab said the most prevalent crew in Petworth and Ward 4 is the Kennedy Street Crew, which has existed for multiple generations and was widely known in the 鈥�90s for the of FBI agents and police officeres.

MPD declined to comment when asked the number of crews in the neighborhood and declined to comment on the issue of crew violence as a whole.

Older crews, like Kennedy Street Crew, instigate violence among other crews due to generational differences, Paul Johnson, an ANC representing 4C said.

鈥淭here’s folks who were incarcerated, perhaps from the 鈥�90s or 鈥�80s for very long stretches, that are coming back into the community that have long standing ties to the community and things have changed,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭here may be tension with respect to people coming home, and younger people who are out here.鈥�

Root of the problem

Johnson said crew violence happens as a result of multiple factors 鈥� the most pressing being a disinvestment in communities of color left behind by gentrification.

Gentrification pushes families and individuals out of their homes, Johnson said, causing informal support systems, like cookouts and block parties, to disappear. As a result, youth feel abandoned and often turn to crews, which give them a sense of belonging.

Abdul-Kareem Mohammad is the CEO and founder of , a nonprofit organization helping youth become involved in community programs and preventative activities to avoid violence.

Trauma also instigates crew violence, Mohammad said. By witnessing violence, people can become violent in retaliation or to protect themselves, he said.

鈥淚f you’ve been a victim of crime or your聽 brother鈥檚 been murdered or your family member has been murdered, you鈥檙e on high alert,鈥� Mohammad said. 鈥淚t puts you in a fight or flight mode and these young men are choosing to fight.鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated crew violence, Johnson said. He said mental health issues brought on by the pandemic and financial struggles can 鈥溾�嬧�媘anifest itself in negative behaviors or developments.鈥�

Mohammad said the pandemic has caused a 鈥減andemic of violence鈥� as underrepresented communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic may see more privileged communities recover faster from the pandemic. He said this can cause a feeling of exclusion, which can cause people to act out.

Benab, Johnson and Mohammad all said community outreach programs are the best way to address the issue of children becoming involved in crew violence. Providing youth with mental health services, trauma response resources and activities such as sports and clubs are ways they plan to do this.

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis-George that Cure the Streets D.C. 鈥� an organization dedicated to 鈥渋nterrupting violence鈥� in neighborhoods that present high levels of violence 鈥� will be introduced in Ward 4. She said this program is being introduced in an effort to curb gun violence, especially related to crew violence.

Benab said community outreach programs take time. She said by implementing the right time and effort to the outreach programs, children could really benefit.

鈥淪ome of these kids, if you sit down with them, they鈥檙e the sweetest kids you鈥檒l ever meet,鈥� Benab said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e wonderful and think about what they could be doing if they had the resources. They鈥檇 be doing some really great things.鈥�

The post Petworth leaders say 鈥榗rews鈥� behind surge in violence first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The initiative is an effort led by , a nonprofit organization branched from programs, which are D.C. government funded programs designed to grow local businesses.

Other parts of Petworth already have support from D.C Main Streets, said Gabriela Mossi, executive director of Uptown Main Street. Mossi said Uptown Main Street helps businesses with retention, it helps strengthen their engagement with the community by tailoring to the specific outdoor needs 鈥� for example creating 鈥溾�� for restaurants 鈥� and it helps them attract customers and investors.

Georgia Avenue NW from Upshur Street north to Missouri Avenue and Upshur Street NW from 8th to 13th Streets is the new 鈥淧etworth Main Street,鈥� Mossi said.

鈥淲e felt that certainly those businesses in that middle part of Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street had been left out,鈥� Mossi said. 鈥淚t made sense to bring cohesion to the area under one organization.鈥�

Mossi said each program that鈥檚 a part of D.C. Main Streets has to apply to become a 鈥渘ationally certified鈥� nonprofit to help local businesses. Once a Main Street essentially receives its 鈥渟eal of approval鈥� Mossi said, they鈥檙e official and can operate accordingly.

There was a competition held earlier in the year that decided what corridor would receive a new Main Street organization, Mossi said.

Zachary Israel, a 4D Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner representing part of Petworth, advocated for Uptown Main Street to come to this part of Petworth. Israel said Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis-George and other Ward 4 ANCs helped push for the creation of Petworth Main Street.

Israel said the implementation of a Main Street program will provide the 鈥渆xpertise and knowledge鈥� at the very least, to make sure these small businesses are aware of the tools available to them.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a barber shop on Georgia Avenue, and you’re just getting by day to day, you don’t necessarily have the time or resources to research and apply and do all that work to get that funding even if they’re eligible for it,鈥� Israel said.

Julie Wineinger, owner of the dessert shop Lulubelle鈥檚 and retail store Willow on Upshur Street, said she鈥檚 been fighting for a Main Street organization to come to her street for six years.

鈥淲e鈥檝e sort of just been in this void of Main Streets for a while, so I鈥檓 very excited,鈥� Wineinger said.

Though Wineinger said her businesses didn鈥檛 struggle too badly during the pandemic, she said she is hopeful Uptown Main Street will pull her businesses out of the economic rut they鈥檙e in. She hopes to see this happen through more streateries along Upshur Street and more community events that help small businesses get their name out.

鈥淲e tried to do some things on our own,鈥� Wineinger said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e happy that now there’s sort of a bigger backbone to help us out.鈥�

Since the Oct. 27 announcement, Mossi said Uptown Main Street is still in the early stages of reaching out to businesses who are not aware they will be receiving funding and support, Mossi said.

Martin Amini, founder of Room 808, a comedy and jazz club on Upshur Street NW, said he was not aware of Uptown Main Street鈥檚 programs yet, but said he is excited to gain access to the program鈥檚 support.

Amini said he started Room 808, a comedy and jazz club, in the middle of the pandemic so his business had a challenging start. But he said they are doing well and have increased their shows from twice a week to five times a week. He said other businesses in this block could also benefit from Uptown Main Street because of financial turmoil caused by the pandemic.

鈥淲e’d love to get some help because it’s tough. It’s really tough,鈥� Amini said.

Amini said he鈥檚 looking forward to receiving help from the District, because he knows small businesses face threats from both the pandemic and the colder weather, which often urges people to stay home.

鈥淥n behalf of the street, I think everyone’s trying their best to just survive and make it through this winter and a pandemic at the same time,” Amini said.

The post Nonprofit supporting small businesses creates 鈥楶etworth Main Street鈥� first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Alex Torrey, founder and CEO, said he decided to start The Rounds because the process of getting essential household products such as shampoo, soap and kitchen necessities like olive oil was 鈥渃ompletely broken.鈥�

鈥淧etworth, like other neighborhoods, has a big problem with waste,鈥� Torrey said. As more people rely on e-commerce to get everyday products, especially during the pandemic, it鈥檚 creating a tremendous amount of waste, Torrey said. According to the , packaging accounts for nearly 30% of municipal waste.

Alex Torrey, CEO and founder of The Rounds, talks about how E-commerce is not sustainable.聽

In order to combat this, The Rounds鈥� products come in refillable containers, eliminating packaging waste. Torrey said they鈥檝e also created an algorithm that generates the most efficient delivery routes depending on which customers need what products that week.

Members who subscribe to The Rounds鈥� services can save up to an average of 50 pounds of trash from their homes every year, according to .

The Rounds, along with other alternative waste services, are all part of how the District will meet its goal of hitting a 80% residential waste diversion rate by 2032. A residential waste diversion rate is the amount of waste from households that doesn鈥檛 go to landfills and incinerators. Instead, it鈥檚 converted to energy, composted or recycled. The residential waste diversion rate in the District as of June 2021 was 25.25%.

Additionally, when waste is sent to landfills, it is often incinerated, producing harmful methane gases in the atmosphere and contributing to climate change, Catherine Plume, the chair of the Sierra Club D.C. chapter, said.

Plume said though the waste diversion rate is 25.25% and there are almost 11 more years to meet the 80% goal, the current diversion rate is cause for concern. The waste diversion rate in 2015 was 20.93%.

鈥淲e just didn鈥檛 move the needle very far in the first 10 years,鈥� Plume said. 鈥淪o, with that track record, I just say the progress that we鈥檝e made is very minimal.鈥�

Plume said the city needs to do more in order to meet this diversion goal. She said the District鈥檚 Office of Waste Diversion has to implement any aspect of the which requires funding in order to increase the city鈥檚 waste diversion rate.

She said she鈥檇 like to see the Benning Road power plant reconstructed to allow for a composting facility 鈥� an improvement not currently included in the Department of Public Works鈥� plan.

鈥淐omposting just really reduces a lot of unnecessary waste from waste streams and can help regenerate soils and do all sorts of good stuff,鈥� Plume said.

She said the city should implement free composting services because it will motivate more people to compost, which is one of the best ways to raise waste diversion.

鈥淚f I鈥檓 already on a tight income, I’m not going to be spending money on a composting service, it鈥檚 not going to be high on my priority list,鈥� Plume said.

Though Plume said the problem of excess waste is not an issue unique to one ward, K茅thia Clairvoy, a Petworth resident, said since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic she鈥檚 seen more trash on the streets of Ward 4 than before. Clairvoyant said this is due to people being stuck at home and producing more trash, hence putting waste management services .

鈥淭he biggest culprits, most people can ascertain is, from the lack of waste management,鈥� Clairvoyant said. 鈥淓ach month of the pandemic there are fewer services.鈥�

Clairvoyant said the overflowing trash on her street has caused issues such as rodent infestations. She said she鈥檚 been trying to produce less waste because she鈥檚 scared of rodents and had a few run-ins with mice while taking her trash out in the past few months.

For Torrey, experiences like these point to the need for The Rounds, which was so popular at launch people had to join a wait list in Petworth.

鈥淧etworth is definitely one of those places where people are busy and are looking for convenient ways to get their essentials and because they’re producing and creating a lot of additional waste,鈥� Torrey said.

鈥淧eople are very open to a more sustainable alternative.鈥�

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Zachary Israel, a 4D advisory neighborhood commissioner representing part of the neighborhood, . The collision happened on Oct. 6 at the corner of Farragut Street and Illinois Avenue NW.

The problem with the intersection, Israel said, is that it鈥檚 not a four-way stop, and people often speed through it. Drivers traveling on Illinois Avenue don鈥檛 have to stop while those crossing on Farragut Street do. Additionally, parked cars on Illinois Avenue can create blind spots for crossing traffic.

鈥淚 got flooded with emails and phone calls and text messages after this happened,鈥� Israel said. 鈥淚 immediately went to the scene, and, you know, people are just fed up.鈥�

Israel said he saw the woman in the flipped vehicle being rushed to the hospital after the collision.

This intersection has been 鈥渆xtremely dangerous for years, and years and years,鈥� Israel said.

According to D.C. Open Data crash reports, there have been six accidents in the last six years at this intersection. However, there are reports from the D.C Policy Center stating MPD鈥檚 data on crash reports is flawed and .

Israel said he鈥檚 been trying to get community leaders such as Councilmember Janeese Lewis-George and DDOT representatives to visit the intersection for months. After this accident, Lewis-George and Everott Lott, interim director of DDOT, came to the scene of the accident to evaluate what safety improvements could be made.

鈥淚 actually had planned this weeks ago before the accident happened because there’s been so many accidents there,鈥� Israel said on Oct. 7. 鈥淲e were supposed to meet on Nov. 3, and we actually bumped it up to today.鈥�

In order to add safety measures such as a stop sign or speed bump, a request for a study must be submitted to DDOT and they have to complete the study to determine if safety measures need to be implemented. Israel said the community has expressed frustration to him and across social media that implementing safety measures on the streets takes too long because DDOT isn鈥檛 as involved as constituents would like.

I’ve seen sooo many crashes at that intersection. It should be a 4 way stop.

鈥� Nick Casey (@NickCasey)

Israel said community members and advocates propose ideas such as more stop signs, stop lights, speed cameras and speed bumps to prevent collisions, but there鈥檚 been no luck getting these features implemented. He said residents all around Petworth face challenges in carrying out traffic safety improvements.

There have been four children hit by cars across the District in the last four weeks, according to . Faith Hall, co-chair of the District chapter of , said this statistic is 鈥渁trocious,鈥� especially because people have become desensitized to car accidents, she said.

Open data from the city鈥檚 Vision Zero initiative there have been three fatalities, 21 major injuries and 350 minor injuries caused by car accidents in Ward 4 so far in 2021.

Tom Bridge, a 43-year-old product manager, has lived in the neighborhood for 12 years. He said he鈥檚 seen traffic safety concerns worsen over the past few years and he鈥檚 fed up with the way DDOT handles traffic concerns.

Bridge said he and other community members have asked the DDOT to put in stop signs at certain intersections that have frequent accidents. He said the process is often drawn out and doesn鈥檛 result in any changes.

鈥淭he city will say things like, 鈥極h we’ll study that,鈥� but the study takes a year,鈥� Bridge said about asking DDOT for stop signs. 鈥淭hen they’ll come back and say 鈥楴o, we don’t think we need anything here.鈥� So they just wasted all of our time.鈥�

It feels like every neighborhood in DC has this same story. DDOT doesn鈥檛 believe reports of serious problems, trusts incomplete & inaccurate data, does nothing.

Why should we confirm Dir Lott, if we鈥檙e just going to get more of the same?

鈥� Tom Bridge Is Out Ahead AAAAAAHHHHH (@tbridge777)

Additionally, Bridge said he and his wife have a son who crosses a number of streets to get to school, increasing his concern for traffic safety in the area.

鈥淭here’s no way I trust the streets of D.C. right now. It’s because DDOT doesn’t put the effort into making D.C. a safer place.鈥� Bridge said.

DDOT did not respond to multiple inquiries for comment.

There are some amazing people at DDOT trying to do big things to transform the District into something safer for everyone. They get just as angry when people are hurt. My frustration is with the agency’s leadership blocking those staff members from doing what they know is right.

鈥� More Speed Tables (@ANCJonah)

Though adding stop signs, traffic lights and other safety measures is one way to prevent collisions, Hall said implementing a holistic approach to traffic safety may be more effective. Instead of putting blame on the individual, she said whole systems need to be reevaluated.

鈥淚n our legal system people are very unlikely to lose a license for being a bad driver in court,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淔requently the justification for that is that you are denying an individual their economic livelihood, so we鈥檙e trying to change that, [having a car] shouldn’t be a prerequisite for living a full life and having access to quality of life.鈥�

Bridge agreed the system surrounding traffic safety needs to change. He said people who look at it from the outside don鈥檛 understand the severity of the issue.

鈥淭he fact is that everyone who says the system is okay, doesn鈥檛 know the system is producing child fatalities,鈥� Bridge said. 鈥淭he system is producing increased rates of accidents, the system is producing all of these things. We need to change the system.鈥�

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There have been 72 assaults with a dangerous weapon, one of the categories MPD uses to track gun violence, in Petworth as of Sept. 28, compared to 78 in all of 2020, according data from

The spike in gun violence isn鈥檛 unique to Petworth. As of Sept. 27, the Metropolitan Police Department reported there have been 156 homicides 鈥� already more than the 140 for all of 2020. Additionally, the FBI Monday that 2020 was the deadliest year in homicides in the past 60 years, and reports suggest that 2021 will be even .

The increase in gun related crimes in Petworth is predominantly caused by crew violence, said Zachary Israel, a 4D Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner representing part of the neighborhood. According to the , crews are neighborhood groups that are similar to gangs, but less formal. The crews often have 鈥渢urf wars鈥� over territory or arguments over drug markets.

These arguments between crews often start on social media, Israel said. The fights then sometimes result in crew members killing members of another crew.

鈥淚 think from my vantage point, it’s just the violence comes from a disregard for human life and bystanders and people that actually live and work and play in the community,鈥� Israel said. 鈥淲e need to understand why these folks involved in this have that mindset, and what we can do to give them other options so that they don’t wind up in this situation where they’re using a gun to solve their problems.鈥�

Police presence has been in Petworth as a result of the uptick in gun violence, said Jonah Goodman, a 4C ANC member. Officers from other wards, FBI and ATF agents have been deployed to police Petworth on top of a stronger MPD presence from District 4 officers, according to Goodman, who said he learned about the escalation at a Ward 4 ANC and Civic Association public safety meeting.

Goodman said the escalation of law enforcement officers in Petworth came immediately after a shooting on Sept. 4 that on Longfellow Street.

Following the Longfellow shooting and additional officer deployment, there was a separate shooting eight days later in broad daylight while a squad car was stationed . That shooting is part of the reason why some Petworth residents don鈥檛 believe a higher police presence is effective in stopping the shootings, Goodman said.

From the residents he鈥檚 talked to in the community, Goodman said they鈥檝e seen the heavy law enforcement as a way to investigate the shootings but not prevent them from happening.

鈥淚f you put a police car on 8th Street, and somebody wants to shoot somebody, they’re gonna go to 9th Street,鈥� Goodman said. 鈥淚t stops the violence at that one possible location and pushes it further away.鈥�

Paul Johnson, an ANC representative of Section 4C, said while some community members are adverse to the idea of a higher police presence in the area, others are supportive. He described this situation as a 鈥渢ug of war鈥� over the issue.

鈥淚 think there’s a tension to sort of balance those needs for immediacy to deal with an acute crisis, but also to search for a durable solution into measure,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 think that’s hard when you know there’s primal emotions of people’s safety and the safety of their family and loved ones.鈥�

Sonali Rajan, an Associate professor of Health Education at Columbia University, studies gun violence in young people. Rajan said she hasn鈥檛 seen any indication that heightened policing combats gun violence.

鈥淚 do not think there is any evidence that shows that increased presence of police reduces gun violence,鈥� Rajan said. 鈥淚 do not think that that’s a solution.鈥�

Rajan said an increased deployment of police can add to the amount of gun violence in an area, as demonstrated by the number of police shootings in 2020.

Johnson, the ANC representative, said he and others in the community continue to propose ideas that don鈥檛 involve police presence to stop community violence. For example, Johnson said they鈥檙e putting on the festival and implementing other programs to build a stronger sense of community.

Johnson said with the increase in gentrification, some residents feel isolated, which causes them to be violent toward other members of the community.

鈥淚 mean if you look in Petworth and in our community, there is an explosion of buildings, an explosion of pricey condos and luxury apartments,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭he contours of the neighborhood are changing and I think that that contributes to a feeling of who is a part of Petworth and who is not a part of Petworth.鈥�

Johnson also said promoting education and job-related skills is a good place to start. He said this will help discourage young people from taking part in crew related violence as they鈥檒l have a greater sense of purpose.

Like Johnson, Rajan said one of the ways to prevent gun violence among young people is to promote education. However, Rajan said on top of this education, there needs to be a discussion on how gun violence isn鈥檛 an individual’s fault but rather of failed systems that have led to this point.

鈥淭he solution cannot be to place the onus of this responsibility on that individual,鈥� Rajan said. 鈥淭he solution needs to be that we are investing in our neighborhoods, to make sure that that neighborhood is safe… There’s a tendency I think to blame individuals for what are largely systemic failures. I think gun violence is a very good example of that.鈥�

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