May 9, 2008
Morning Roundup: Storms and Speeches Edition
Good morning, Washington. Just when you thought you were justified in complaining about how last night's storm made it hard to find a cab, turns out thunderstorms and a possible tornado tore apart a bunch of homes in Stafford County. A flood watch remains in effect for the District, parts of northern Virginia and southern Maryland until 11 a.m.
Fenty vs. Police Union: Mayor Fenty says he plans to show up to speak at today's Fraternal Order of Police event as a guest of Chief Cathy Lanier, reports the Post, even though he has been uninvited by the union. The event itself is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 441 Fourth St. NW, so if you want to witness a really awkward spectacle that will make you feel just a little bit better about your sad little life, feel free to stand around outside the building to catch a glimpse of it all. The police union told Fenty not to come as a way to show how upset they are over they mayor's handling of the DeOnté Rawlings case.
Homeless Man Seen Leaving Mt. Pleasant Fire: The Examiner reports that security cameras near the site of the Mount Pleasant apartment fire recorded a homeless man who had been banned from the property leaving the scene just minutes before the fire started. Officials still have not been able to determine the cause of the five-alarm fire that destroyed the apartment building, but arson investigators arrested the man seen on the video on unlawful-entry charges.
Briefly Noted: Michelle Rhee fires principal of the school where her children attend ... Panel wants Martin Luther King statue reworked ... Naval hospital expansion starts soon ... Man killed while crossing road in Gaithersburg ... Senator fined after his dog bites a man.
This Day in DCist: Last year we asked you what you thought should be done with the Arts and Industries Building, and the year before that we recommended some reasonably priced places to take Mom for brunch on Mother's Day.
Photo by erin*carly
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I don't get it? Didn't they get approval from the commission before they started building the King statue?
I'd like them to portray Dr. King with his shoe firmly wedged in a Klansman's ass. Simple. Direct. To the point.
to paraphrase jeremiah wright: the district's chickens are coming home to roost. if it is true that a homeless man set fire to the apartment building in mt. pleasant, i would think it would be safe to assume the guy could probably use some mental health services. perhaps, even, if he had been getting that help, he might not have been able to burn the building down.
now, this is all speculation, but if there's something to it, it would just go to show that taking care of the homeless might cost more than the bare minimum we spend now, but it would be worth our investment in the lives of people in the long run.
first, when a dog bites someone and the officials are involved, isn't the rule to put down the dog? or is that only for the 'dangerous' breeds? either way, i guess Senators are exempt from the rules.
and second, if they arrest this homeless guy and convict him, he'll now sit in prison . . . with a guaranteed roof over his head, food on his plate, and clothing on his back. anyone ever wonder if that could be a motive for someone homeless to commit a crime?
I think it's funny that the Senator whose dog bit the man is named Senator Hurt. I like when people have situation appropriate names. It's a bright spot on a dreary day.
In related news, Georgia has a resolution moving through their legislature to ban marijuana flavored candy for minors. And just which senator is sponsoring this bill to ban the Kronic Kandy you may ask??? Why, it's Senator Doug Stoner of course!!
How do we know the homeless guy wasn't already getting mental health services? And a majority of the homeless have mental health issues. There's the real problem: you can provide all the services you want, but SCOTUS says it's illegal to force the mentally ill to take antipsychotic medication unless they've been proven to be a danger to themselves or others.
I'd say "successful arsonist" counts in both cases.
So if it turns out the fire was started by an angry homeless guy, doesn't this sort of negate the Grahamstanding accusation that it was the city's fault for not properly inspecting the building?
And re: Michelle Rhee firing her kids' principal - local folks seem to be split according to race as to whether the Hispanic principal was doing a good job or whether she was in over her head.
Chopper, sick balls!
Living up in Mt. Unpleasant, I see plenty-o
mental peeps a-walking around. Many are unemployed Latino men. Many are chased out of laundrymats because they tend to try and sleep there instead of the shelters. If the laundrymat is closed, they make there ways into apartment buildings to sleep in the stairwells or laundry rooms. This might have been the case of the fatal fire.
erincarly,
Dangerous Dog statutes vary wildly across jurisdictions but a dog is rarely put down after one biting incident.
How about Morning Roundup: Hullabaloo at Ballou or Morning Roundup: Countdown to the Bush Wedding and its Consummation?
No? Alright then.
Since no-one died in the Mt. Pleasant fire, I don't think we can call it "fatal."
There was at least one fire this fall that was caused by squatters trying to keep warm in the basement of an abandoned house.
anyone ever wonder if that could be a motive for someone homeless to commit a crime?
Are you serious? Have you ever been to prison?
I dunno. Depends on the prison. The Watergate conspirators got sent to some pretty cushy prisons. All the homeless guy would need to do is claim that he started the fire for reason of National Security and Bush would give him a pardon. Then he publishes a book and makes a fortune on the lecture circuit.
I unfortunately lived in that building and that homeless guy was a real problem. If you read the Examiner article linked above you get a pretty accurate summary of him. I heard about the DCFD looking for him awhile back and was afraid they might try and pin it on him.
OldPoster: I certainly can't say for sure if it was him or not, but I do know that the horrible result of the fire was directly related to the condition of the building (especially the basement). And after giving my statement to the FD we talked a bit about the slimeball landlords that didn't keep the building up to firecode. So I do believe the destruction was a result of DCRA not enforcing violations/slimeball landlords trying to make a quick buck.
I used the word fatal incorrectly. Shoulda said,
horrible fire. It was a horrible fire.
TimmyTucker - do you write for the Onion?
That can't possibly be true, right...