Connecticut Avenue had become a police disco.
Had someone hit a cyclist? The response, within minutes, of more than a dozen police cars and fire trucks wailed of great tragedy.
Little did we know.
Behind our hotel, four men had jumped out of a carjacked Alfa Romeo and fired more than 50 rounds — including with a semi-automatic rifle — in a targeted killing that also left a bystander with significant injuries. My partner had walked past the spot 20 minutes earlier. I had been there a couple hours prior, and countless times before.
When I first started coming to Washington D.C. more than 30 years ago, it was understood you had to be careful to not cross the wrong streets or you could suddenly end up in a bad area. Having walked through much of the city since, I’ve never felt unsafe.
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| Row, row, row. |
And, despite being the site of an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981, the area around the Washington Hilton hardly qualifies as bad.
Violent crime and homicide have increased steadily in the district in recent years, though, reaching rates unseen in 20 years. It’s immediately obvious more people are experiencing homelessness than when I was there last. The pandemic cannot have helped.
Having spent the day driving home, we have been left reflecting on change, on life, on equity. And on a love I still have for D.C.
Vitals:
- Time: 12 hours
- Distance: 969.3 kms
- Province/States: Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario
- Weather: Sunny and mild
- Wildlife: A panic-stricken coyote, struck by a car and unable to move its legs
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