December 2, 2008
Armed Robberies on the Rise in 'Borderstan'
WJLA reports an increase in armed robberies in the neighborhood east of Dupont Circle, an area that some residents have been drawing attention to over the last six months by campaigning to get people to start calling it Borderstan. The folks behind the Borderstan movement roughly define the area as lying between 14th and 16th Streets NW and P and S Streets NW, which happens to be split down the middle between ANCs 2F and 2B, and PSAs 307 and 208.
The WJLA story quotes ANC 2B commissioner Jack Jacobsen as saying that "criminals know" that the area is split between two police patrol service areas and so are targeting the neighborhood on purpose. While that's probably a little far-fetched, there have been three armed robberies in the past five days in the immediate area, on 15th and R Streets and one on S Street. Hopefully the Borderstan movement's efforts to bring increased police patrols to the area will prove successful.
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All we need to do is have Borderstan declare itself a separatist, renegade province of the former Soviet Union, and have the Russians annex it. A couple columns of tanks will fix their little red wagon.
Get it? Red? Soviet? That's a joke son! Now, where the hell is that waiter with my rye?
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why is it far-fetched to think that some astute criminals aren't aware of PSA boundaries? sure, we have a lot of plain-old street toughs in the city, but there are guys here who know what the heck they're doing. i wouldn't be surprised to see that they know how to avoid things.
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It's hard to imagine a made-up neighborhood name more redolent of wannabe-ness than NoMa or CoHe, but I think "Borderstan" takes the cake.
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Borderstan? Really? You're about 2 blocks from Logan Circle. And not sure why anyone would call something east of 16th Dupont.
Guaranty they call themselves Logan or even Dupont when it comes to listing their apartments.
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if the wacky name solves the crime problem, I'm all for it.
Good for them for coming up with something creative.
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We wuz robbed!
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Not too long ago, there was also a two victim shooting on the 1500 block of T Street...
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The real crime is that Borderstan lacks a single Kabob house.
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Borderstan's gone downhill ever since it was annexed by the DINKs in 1998. I blame Cakelove.
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What they need is their own Turkmenbashi.
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"Guaranty they call themselves Logan or even Dupont when it comes to listing their apartments."
I live just west of there and it is actually considered DuPont. Where does DuPont actually stop?
(and it's "guarantee". Jus' sayin')
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Dupont "stops" wherever realtors want it to stop. Logan was sold as "East Dupont" for years before they pushed all the hookers off 14th Street. After that, U Street was sold as "North Logan" until the same thing happened there.
But I'll always remember Dupont as that place where I'd go to buy U.S. Bongs at Earthworks and eat a huge nasty pile of gyros at Vesuvius. Both money and time behave like loose quicksilver in a nest of cracks: once they're gone, you wonder where they went, or what the devil you did with them!
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read the blog. they're not trying to rename their neighborhood, the name was just a clever thing that the folks and cops came up with to name a strange situation (a relatively cohesive area split into two police districts).
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Well, if it's where two cheeky neighborhoods meet, why not just call it "Buttcrack?"
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And a pet store specializing in bunny rabbits on 14th could be "Harey Buttcracks on 14".
What?
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Some friends live in a house that was billed on Criagslist as being in "the heart of Dupont" -- at 13th & Florida.
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Also: doesn't Borderstan seem like a transparent attempt by some neighborhood activists to amplify their voices relative to those of their peers in established neighborhood organizations? It's also a profoundly stupid name.
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This is just thinly-veiled racist neighborhood redlining at its worst. "Borderstan" sounds foreign, dangerous, and even crypto Muslim. Notice they didn't call the area something sweet and bucolic like "Borderville" or "Bordertown." They should take their cue from the upscale condo high-rises that give themselves pretentious names like "The Borderton" or "The Border Arms at 14th" or maybe even a nod to Madonna and call it "Borderline." Just slap some makeup on that old whore and you turn a crime-ridden liability into the next vibrant, trendy destination neighborhood.
Either that, or leave it at either "Honkeyville," "Crackertown," or "Peckerwoods."
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this neighborhood has always been prone to crime. when lizard lounge was on 14th st clubgoers were getting mugged all the time. giving the place a "name" isn't going to change anything.
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tom: stupid or not, it got your attention, and that's what it was supposed to do.
mission accomplished.
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Actually there's been an increase in robbery attempts in North Dupont as well, all of which should be covered by PSA 208.
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@Monkey, hopefully you see this:
I searched for your quote above - "Both money and time behave like loose quicksilver in a nest of cracks: once they're gone, you wonder where they went, or what the devil you did with them" - and only found references in two other posts you've made on DCist.
This raises two questions - 1) Are you such a smartypants that you would write such a good quote?
or is it attributable to someone?
2) Are you actually some kind of auto-response bot who knows to recycle certain phrases?
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I also live just west of there and it is actually called Dupont. Where does Dupont actually stop?
Dupont stops at 15th.
(and it's "Dupont", not "DuPont". Jus' sayin')
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IMGoph: I'm not sure I buy that. So the more remarkably bad the name is, the better it is? I think you're begging the question.
Presumably the name was meant to get attention, but also to embody the community, inspire respect for its residents, and not seem vaguely xenophobic. I mean, it's above the Mendoza Line, but...
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My, my. SO MANY interesting theories here about Borderstan... the group... the name... OUR PLOTS to dominate the world between the Potomac and Capitol Hill. It's all right here: http://borderstan.com/about/
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http://borderstan.com/about/
Q. Why did the people of Borderstan form a semi-autonomous region and ask the D.C. Police for recognition?
A. We felt the best way to get the support we need from various city resources (like the police) was to give ourselves a name and declare our existence! We wanted to make clear that even though our small neighborhood straddled the boundaries drawn by the city’s administrators, we are a still a single neighborhood. Problems (and solutions!) flow across those invisible PSA and ANC boundaries.
Q. Does Borderstan have an official “governing body” or official “community group?”
A. Nope. We’re just a bunch of folks who are availing ourselves of the power that comes from group action. We do have an email group, and some of us meet fairly regularly with police officials who serve our area. The more voices that are heard, the better we’ll be able to understand who we are as a neighborhood. In other words, the more the merrier!
Q. Exactly what do Borderstanians want?
A. Many things, naturally—endless sunshine and flowers, to end hunger, prevent fashion crimes, bring about world peace and to have safer streets. But, Borderstanians are pragmatic by nature. Thus, we’ve have decided that safer streets are attainable, so this is our goal.
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@Majapa -
(1) No. It's from Booth Tarkington's "The Magnificent Ambersons." Nouveau riche midwest dynasty gets plowed down by hubris and the stinking hell of the automobile. Required reading for folks who hate on commuters and the nouveau riche. Or just rent the movie.
(2) I am actually some kind of auto-response bot who knows to recycle certain phrases. Simply string together obscure film/lit references and fart/pee jokes. It's easy, and you don't have to wait until SkyNet becomes sentient.
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Pfft.. Borderstan.. Freemasons will keep that area down on lock. Protecting the country and all of its secrets in Northwest Borderstan 16th and S. They will remain vigilent and this crime spree will all but disappear in a matter of days.
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well tom, i think mattyillini pretty much confirmed my theory with this line:
i'm sorry they only batted slightly over .200 in your opinion, and not a tony gwynn-like .370, but hey, both ways, you get on base, right?[ report this ]
The Scottish Rite Masons and the Prince Hall Masons have been in a life-or-death struggle for the soul of Borderstan for hundreds of years. Once again, it breaks down along racial lines. The white Masons want more cannibalism and necrophilia during their initiation rites, the black Masons want pimped-out aprons and more Ludacris on the boombox. Meanwhile the streets of Borderstan run red with the blood of the innocents.
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Monkeyrotica- careful what you say, man, unless you're cool with plastic surgery and a covert new identity in Kerplakistan.