DC Chinatown Safety Petition

DC Chinatown Safety Petition

Started
March 24, 2023
Petition to
Mayor of Washington, DC Muriel Bowser and 4 others
Petition Closed
This petition had 376 supporters

Why this petition matters

Started by Vincent DeRosa

Whereas: 

-The first duty of government is to secure domestic tranquility, most especially for the neediest among us

-DC government has chosen to put a shelter (810 5th St NW) for un-housed men directly between city-assisted housing for vulnerable populations: the elderly and infirm (Wah Luck House, Judiciary House),  as well as multiple other residences, commercial properties and cultural outlets

-The shelter in question is already in poor and dilapidated condition in need of significant renovation

-DC’s Chinatown has over the last three years become increasingly dangerous for daily living and commerce due to the presence of an illegal trade in hard drugs, public drunkenness, verbal and physical abuse of innocents by loiterers, and public defecation

-City Agencies including the Department of Human Services, General Services, commercial regulation have engaged in poor imprecise communication, and blame shifting

-The DC Metropolitan Police Department has been depopulated and severely limited in its ability to maintain good order in Chinatown by what the Mayor herself describes as “a negative legislative environment.”

-The dangerous and unhealthy behaviors plaguing Chinatown can be directly correlated to bad actors surrounding the homeless shelter 

And whereas 

-The residents of Chinatown have consistently expressed a concern for the un-housed who are themselves the first and most dramatic victims of the above-mentioned behaviors 

-The housed residents of Chinatown have continually and fruitlessly sought redress from city leaders.

We the petitioners demand

-A precise date for the long-promised removal of men from this shelter to better maintained facilities

-A voice in the long-promised renewal of the 5th Street shelter as a dignified and safe place for unhoused women

-Better cooperation among executive agencies responsible for public safety and sanitation in Chinatown

-A healthier legislative environment in which the DC Metropolitan Police Department can function for the good of all, especially our homeless neighbors.

And we resolve to make future electoral choices on this basis.

Petition Closed

This petition had 376 supporters

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Decision Makers

  • Muriel BowserMayor of Washington, DC
  • Charles AllenDC Council, Ward 6
  • Brooke PintoDC Council Ward 2
  • Phil MendelsonDC Council, Chairman
  • Robert WhiteDC Council, At Large, Housing Committee