The DC Police Department has apparently read some of my entries about how this city gets when the weather is nice. This weekend, they have their “All Hands On Deck” thing going on, attempting to provide more of a presence all over the city. As a result, the ignorant jackasses have still come out of hibernation this weekend as anticipated, but now they are accompanied by squad cars and flashing lights every half hour or so.
In a true sign of Petworth gentrification, this afternoon I witnessed a couple of twentysomething white ladies walking their dogs on one side of the street, while three high school-age kids were running from the police on the other. I never describe my neighborhood as a bad one, because it’s really not. It’s just…”transitional.” A whole lot of changes are happening right out here, and people on both sides of the changes are acting kind of funny. Overall, the nighborhood is fine as far as I’m I’m concerned, but I’m sort of easy to please. As long as no one is directly f*cking with me or my friends, life is good. In other words, my man T.I. said it best: “I’m straaaaaight.”
“Everybody say they got a story. Mines on Larry King. Theirs is on Maury.” – B.G.
I’m writing all of this basically to tell you to be careful this weekend. Between the ignorant asses emerging thanks to the warmth and the police officers looking for a reason to lock people up out of frustration since they have to work on such a beautiful weekend, keep your eyes open. Once again, another ListenToLeon public service announcement.
I’m glad that you use the word transitional to describe your neigborhood. Let’s get rid of the word gentrification. The *gentry* do not make it a habit of moving to moderate neighborhoods.
Good point. Maybe people should start calling it “I’m doing slightly better than middle class”-ification
Good looking thanks for the info my D.M.V neighbor.
The police in DC drive around in unmarked cars on a regular basis. I have seen them catch lots of dudes slipping.
Please tell me you were kidding about the dog walking vs. police chase… Although I wouldn’t be surprised. Damn DC…
@ Miss E, unfortunately that really happened on my street.
@ Jabari Talib, I’ve seen them do that in other places, too. They’re notorious for it around here though.
@ Kenfolk, glad the message is appreciated!
To further your point, I submit that this afternoon dude on a motorcycle stopped at a traffic light and swiveled around and gave the passengers in a Volvo SUV an unabashed middle finger. Then he proceeded to eyeball them more, and then when the light turned green he enraged the entire phalanx of cars lined up behind him–including the Volvo–by deliberately stalling (all the while continuing to glare at the backup to his rear) until the light turned yellow and then peeling off in a wheelie. I kept wishing the Volvo driver was an ATF agent or something who was passing through the hood with his upper middle class family, so he could jump out and throw his baton into cycle man’s gears and cause him to go SPLAT right in the middle of the intersection, all of which would have been caught on tape by me, of course.
Ahhhh, spring has sprung in the ghetto.