June 2, 2008
Morning Roundup: Say Khat? Edition
Good morning, D.C. Among the many, many crime stories to choose from over the weekend, this one seems to be drawing the most interest on neighborhood email lists. Nearly three dozen people were arrested late Friday night in a raid in the Shaw neighborhood for being in possession of about 30 pounds of khat. Khat is a green shrub native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that is chewed, or sometimes drunk as a tea, to produce euphoric effects thanks to an active drug similar to mild amphetamines. It is indeed illegal to use Khat in the United States, though its legal use is quite common in East Africa and parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom. It's telling, for instance, that the police raided a location on 7th Street where East African immigrants who live in the neighborhood gather to play cards and drink coffee.
Deadly Weekend: At least eight people (and possibly nine) are dead and as many were wounded in one of the District's most violent weekends on record. Once again, most of the violence took place in the 5th Police District in Northeast, despite increased patrols in the area by the MPD. The city's death toll now exceeds that of 2007 for the first time this year, standing at at least 73.
Don't Pay the Fare in an Non-metered Taxicab: Sunday was the first day that the District had promised to shell out $1,000 fines for any city taxicabs attempting to operate without a time and distance meter. Did you notice a big difference yesterday? The Examiner has the money quote from Taxicab Commission Chairman Leon Swain: “... if you get into a cab and you find out that cab doesn’t have a meter, as far as I’m concerned you don’t have to pay the fare. That’s not a D.C. taxicab,” Swain told the paper. So all of a sudden we're actually hoping to stumble on a zone cab this week. So confused!
Briefly Noted: Sen. Ted Kennedy undergoing surgery at Duke this morning ... Woman rescued from underneath Metro train at Smithsonian ... Man shot and killed by police after a domestic dispute in Northeast ... Weekend storm left thousands without power in outer suburbs.
Photo by spiggycat
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i took a cab yesterday (Sunday) at around 4pm. as I jumped in with one a friend, the driver started pushing buttons on his meter, increasing the fare surcharge up to $2.50. i thought about asking him how he came up with that figure (and for all i know it was correct), but i my immediate impression is that these guys now have the ability to crank up the fare whenever they please. extra passenger? fuel surcharge? rush hour? phase of the moon? color of your underwear? that'll be another $4.
tourists beware.
It's about time khat started catching on among the cool kids. Pretty dangerous "gateway chew" it is. Soon the cachet will wear off and they'll move on to harder stuff like betel nuts, coca leaves, Skoal, Wrigley's Spearmint, and wax lips.
my brain clearly isn't communicating with my fingers very well this morning. more coffee please.
from the post piece about the guy who was shot by police after a domestic dispute:
"The man was hit in the body."
wow. that is some fine forensic reporting.
I got into an unmetered cab in Georgetown on Friday night but was too drunk enough to notice...
I'm totally printing the Swain quote on a bunch of cards to hand out when riding taxis w/o meters.
What all cabs need is a list prominently displayed in the backseats of the cab that details the initial charge, the additional fee per distance, the surcharges, and the emergency gas surcharge. And a phone number with the DC Taxicab Commission's number to call with any questions or complaints. I'm sure such a requirement is already in place. But it's time to make it enforced with strict fines for those cabbies that don't comply. Same thing for requiring cabbies to show their hacker's license info on their sun visors.
The cops were actively looking for unmetered cabs Saturday night (or Sunday morning). Good enforcement the night after 8 people are killed.
(And sadly, $2.50 is the correct add on for you + 1 because it's $1 fuel and $1.50 passenger, effectively creating a $5.50 drop. AWESOME!)
It's just a matter of time before cabbies figure out a way to rig the meters. I'm pretty sure they'll only be tested for correct calibration annually if at all.
Nine people dead over the weekend, and we're worried about people chewing funky sticks?
Khat is illegal? I doubt we'll see bootleg hhat labs blowing up. If it grows in the ground and does not need several processing steps to make into a consumable product--it should be legal to consume.
Cops caught yer khat? Don't forget your jenkem! Poo, it's fun!
Unmetered cab from Capital Hill to north Arlington: $30 with no basis for that other than the driver's word
Metered cab from Dupont to north Arlington: $10.75 based on a meter I can watch
I'll take the meter any day.
From the khat bust article: A Justice Department publication said that after losing its freshness khat leaves contain a substance that has a relatively low abuse potential but can lead to limited dependence.
Sounds like coffee to me.
Kids and their cheap highs nowdays. Last time I checked, hyperventilation, homoerotic asphyxiation, and tantric sex magick were still free and easy. Get it while you can, boys and girls, before Jim Graham passes emergency legislation outlawing your American birthright with the Protection of Differently Enabled Sickos from Themselves Act of 2008.
And get off my lawn!
I saw an episode of South Park that parodied this Khat stuff. They called it something different, but it's the same thing. The Post article has it wrong; perhaps they have it confused with marijuana. It's actually cat piss, and it can lead to dependency.
@Bethesdaist-- It's not as if the MPD can only focus on one set of crimes at a time. It's a big department.
@ontario-- This is pretty common practice in Southeast Asia. Only difference is, the cost of living and the exchange rate make it so cheap that you'd have to be a real jerk to argue with the poor cabbie that you ought to be paying him half of that $6 fare for a thirty-minute ride.
Does anyone know why cabs insist on riding around with passengers AND their top lights on?
In New York, the light on means that you are avail. is this just not common sense?
yeah and actually that light on the top thing was written into the new DC code when they enacted the meters. It says something about having it on when you don't have a passenger and off when you do have one.
From the khat bust article: A Justice Department publication said that after losing its freshness khat leaves contain a substance that has a relatively low abuse potential but can lead to limited dependence.
Sounds like coffee to me.
As someone who's chewed it, it is almost exactly like coffee - if coffee required you to cram a wad of acerbic leaves in the side of your mouth and chew for 2 hours to get your buzz on.
Yeah valuable police resources busting a renegade coffee (ie khat) ring, meanwhile 9 shot and killed and I am sure probably another 3 cop cars sitting in front of Avenue as they are there every Friday and Saturday night for whatever random, shooting, knifing, mugging, or whatever happens to be occurring that night. Seriously how does this club stay open, if you check the number of incidents there it is ridiculous. Jack Evans you are no Jim Graham
so...basically chewing tobacco? i feel much more secure in my city now that this bust has gone down and my chances of grabbing a spit cup are that much more reduced.