Chinatown and Shaw community members decry surging crime

[Sunrise]

 

[Bob A]

6 homicides and 16 carjackings so far this year, per MPDC.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Behind last year's pace .

 

[RFBfromDE]

I knew those walks would yield results!

 

[Sunrise]

I knew those walks would yield results!

Only thing those walks did was burn some calories.

 

[slsc98]

Why No One Goes Out to Eat in D.C. Anymore​

Misguided public policy has led to fear on the streets and surcharges on restaurant bills.​

Washington

The restaurant scene in the District of Columbia is dying, and public policy is to blame. As recently as 2016, the nation’s capital received its first Michelin Guide and accolades from the country’s top food magazines. In 2018 the editor of Bon Appétit declared that Washington was “having a moment,” with some restaurants so popular that patrons would wait an hour to get a bite. But that was then.

Rising crime and last year’s mandated increase in tipped wages have restaurateurs lining up to leave town.

In a December social-media post announcing the closing of Pursuit, a 10-year-old wine bar and restaurant, owner Adam Kelinsky said doing business in the city “is no longer sustainable.” Aaron McGovern and Arturas Vorobjovas shuttered both Washington locations of their seafood restaurant Brine in November, saying that the combined effects of the pandemic, the sputtering economy and “the spike in violent crime” had made it “impossible to survive.” Others focus on the second-order consequences of crime: With homicides in Washington up 35% in 2023 and car thefts up 82%, restaurant operators report that people are choosing to eat elsewhere.

Perhaps the sharpest blow was the December announcement that two of Washington’s major-league sports teams—the Wizards of the National Basketball Association and the Capitals of the National Hockey League—plan to leave for a more business-friendly environment in Alexandria, Va. The teams currently play at the Capital One Arena in Chinatown, where a once-vibrant restaurant scene catered to sports fans and concertgoers. The area has been plagued in recent years by robberies and shootings. Things got so bad that Ted Leonsis, owner of both teams, was forced to hire off-duty police to keep visitors to the arena safe.

Falling foot traffic would be bad enough on its own, but Washington’s restaurants have simultaneously faced a sharp rise in labor costs. In November 2022 the city’s liberal voter base overwhelmingly approved Initiative 82, a ballot measure to more than triple the base wage for tipped restaurant workers. Tipped workers in most states can be paid a lower base wage, with their tips bringing them up to minimum wage or more—often two to three times the required minimum. Initiative 82, which eliminated this system, was opposed by tipped workers who worried that it would destroy an industry that worked well for them.

It looks as if they were right. According to Federal Reserve data, full-service restaurant employment in Washington grew roughly 17% in the year before the tipping changes took effect. Since Initiative 82 came into force in May 2023, employment has fallen 4%. This is just the start: The tipped wage will continue to rise for the next three years, when it meets the regular minimum wage that is increased every year for inflation. An April survey published by the Employment Policies Institute of more than 100 local restaurants in D.C. found that most planned to lay off workers. Half planned to expand into lower-cost states such as Maryland or Virginia, and nearly 1 in 3 planned to close locations.

To offset costs, hundreds of restaurants have opted to add fees or other surcharges to customer checks. Diners are responding the way you’d expect: A National Restaurant Association poll of nearly 1,000 D.C.-area adults found more than half are dining out less because of higher prices. Some said they’re choosing to patronize restaurants in Maryland or Virginia instead.

Customers paying sharply higher prices or mandatory surcharges are understandably reluctant to leave an additional tip for their server. Cornell economist Michael Lynn has found that gratuities are lower for workers in states with higher tipped wages. This seems to be what’s happening in Washington: Local news outlet DCist reports that some servers are earning less in take-home pay despite the higher base wage.

Still, there is modest reason for optimism. Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, this week endorsed an aggressive package of safety laws that would increase the penalties for certain crimes and offer grants to improve safety in commercial areas. One of the district’s soft-on-crime council members is facing a primary challenge from a law-and-order Democrat; another is the subject of a recall campaign.

And unlike other localities that are hamstrung by ballot measures, the D.C. Council has the power to modify voter-approved measures such as Initiative 82. All this could help, though it’s sadly too late to save businesses that have already closed their doors.

Voters in Ohio, Arizona and Massachusetts may be asked to eliminate tipped wages this fall. They should take note: Washington’s experiment with lax crime enforcement and high labor costs has caused a dining disaster.
Mr. Saltsman is executive director of the Employment Policies Institute, where Ms. Paxton is research director.

Opinion | Why No One Goes Out to Eat in D.C. Anymore

Misguided public policy has led to fear on the streets and surcharges on restaurant bills.

www.wsj.com

 

[AssMan]

Even the wealthy are getting in on it.

 

[Worsley]

Why would anyone want to go there on purpose?

 

[adit]

ReppaRations

 

[Bob A]

The author is just pissed because he's one of the few that can afford to eat in DC, and the restaurants are closing because of prices, parking, crime and all the other benefits that the local Dem administration has brought into being.

But there's hope; they're going to pay for a Study, and empanel a Committee to develop a Plan.

 

[Sunrise]

The author is just pissed because he's one of the few that can afford to eat in DC, and the restaurants are closing because of prices, parking, crime and all the other benefits that the local Dem administration has brought into being.

But there's hope; they're going to pay for a Study, and empanel a Committee to develop a Plan.

Don't forget the "walks" afterward where they admire their plan.

 

[Sunrise]

What is in the DC omnibus crime bill heading before the council? - Washington Examiner

The Council of the District of Columbia will meet on Jan. 23 to discuss passing sweeping, comprehensive public safety legislation as the district's crime rates continue to rise after staggering final numbers in 2023. Among the most common crimes in Washington are carjackings and robberies, with...

www.washingtonexaminer.com

The Washington, D.C., Council will meet on Jan. 23 to discuss passing sweeping, comprehensive public safety legislation as the district’s crime rates continue to rise after staggering final numbers in 2023.

.....

In 2023, motor vehicle theft increased 82%, robberies increased 67%, and homicides increased 35%. Within the first three weeks of 2024, there have been more than 240 carjackings and 112 robberies.

Great work everybody.

EDIT: That should be 33 Carjackings, with 67% involving guns, and 6 closures....

To date there have been 5 arrests, 80% of them juveniles and 100% of them reporting a DC Home Address.

 

[Bob A]

Within the first three weeks of 2024, there have been more than 240 carjackings and 112 robberies.

Great work everybody.

Uh, according to MPDC, there's been 33 carjackings so far this year.

District Crime Data at a Glance | mpdc

2024 Year-to-Date Crime Comparison* As of April 11, 2024

mpdc.dc.gov

Carjacking | mpdc

*/

mpdc.dc.gov

 

[Sunrise]

Uh, according to MPDC, there's been 33 carjackings so far this year.

District Crime Data at a Glance | mpdc

2024 Year-to-Date Crime Comparison* As of April 11, 2024

mpdc.dc.gov

Carjacking | mpdc

*/

mpdc.dc.gov

Jeez....

So much for The Washington Examiner being reliable.... JFC.

Sorry about that. I assumed they had it right.

 

[Bob A]

Jeez....

So much for The Washington Examiner being reliable.... JFC.

Sorry about that. I assumed they had it right.

Don't get me wrong, 240 carjackings in 3 weeks would be more than a little amusing, but the DC Thug-A-Thon didn't even manage to break a thousand all of last year.

 

[Sunrise]

Roughly 20 cars broken into in NW DC neighborhood, victims say

Numerous vehicles within a two block stretch of Northwest, D.C. were broken into overnight, 7News has learned.

wjla.com

You all voted for this you clowns.

 

[RFBfromDE]

You all voted for this you clowns.

 

[Sunrise]

"Unsurprised" residents.... More like "Demoralized".

Yuri Bezmenov:



Start at 1:07:29

 

[RFBfromDE]

"It sells more deodorants"

 

[Bob A]

The thugs are finally going where the money is.

A lot of this looks like gratuitous vandalism, destruction because rich Honkies.

I can't say DC doesn't deserve it, but good luck trying to take back the unspoken Thug Privilege, now that it's gone Full Mainstream Up Yours!

If Obama had a son (as if, lol!) this is what he'd be doing. Defund the police, whine about reparations, keep the thugs out of jail, and let the animals burn your cities, and this is what you get.

Think it's bad now? Expect DC to change? You just wait . . .