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One of the estimated 20 bus shelters that was vandalized overnight, at the intersection of Florida and Georgia Avenues NW. (Sommer Mathis)
The vandalism, which for the most part consisted of shattering one pane of glass at each shelter, took place at locations all over the city. In upper Northwest there were some on Wisconsin Ave. and also along Massachusetts Ave. near Idaho. There at least two damaged shelters on Florida Ave. NW at Georgia Ave., while still others have been found in Southeast and at least one in the Southwest quadrant of the city.
As reports of the widespread vandalism have come in throughout the day, DDOT now believes that the incidents are "starting to be a bigger issue," said spokesperson Karyn LeBlanc. It appears that the damage may well have been perpetrated by the same person or persons.
Most the shelters involved in the vandalism are the newer, Clear Channel-maintained glass and steel structures, which are supervised by DDOT. But some of the shelters, like the one pictured, were older models, which are still maintained by WMATA.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating. Anyone who may have seen anything or has any information is urged to contact the MPD.
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The Chuds are getting bolder!
Peter Nickles should resign ... NOW!!!!
This is so lame.
I'll guess Peter Nickles hired some thugs in an effort to "mark his turf".
He must be stopped.
Wait. I thought Nickles marked his turf using his musk gland? How else do you explain that smell surrounding the AG's office?
Smells like the fire extinguisher closet over here in the Penn Quarter.
He does! Nickles has one powerful anal gland.
He pooted on a man in Reno just to watch him die.
How else do you explain that smell surrounding the AG's office?
His horrible, unflossed, mangy teeth and gums?
No, that's just the halitosis and trench mouth. The musk smell is more of a swamp-gas-meets-butt-rot aroma, with just a soupçon of Ben Gay.
How can you guys blame Nickles for this? He only drinks socially now.
CHUD's don't break glass where they eat. They don't even throw stones.
So who were the geniuses that didn't decide to use plexiglass? C'mon people, think!
On the bright side, the rock-chuckers are starting to favor inanimate objects over white peoples' heads, so that's progress. Although, in future, I suggest WMATA replace the glass structures with ones constructed from toiletpaper tubes, bits of feces, and plastic explosives.
This wouldn't be a problem if they just used transparent aluminum.
Scotty would agree
There are many types of plexiglass, but the kind that would resist shattering (like Lexan brand) is much more expensive than glass.
You can buy cheap acrylic plastic sheets at the hardware store, but they don't have the better shatter resistance, warp resistance, heat and cold resistance, than glass.
Three cheers for the Star Trek reference! LOL
I've also seen a couple cars on my street in the week with windows shattered.
Oops...I meant in the *PAST* week.
I saw 2 more Sunday morning, on opposite sides of 16th near Irving and Columbia. Crazy.
Well, I certainly hope they can find a solution to this unfortunate antisocial behavior before WMATA rolls out any multi-billion-dollar, chrome-plated, computerized Bus Stop of the Future. Then again, in the future, there will be no vandalism, so forget what I just said.
no worries there. metro's next update will be to change its train monitoring system from atari2600 to nintendo or sega genesis.
I have a lone gunman theory and blame the relaxing of firearms regs.
Well, thank goodness that social scientists have proven that the "broken windows theory" is a complete fallacy. This sort of delightful street urchin performance art actually adds to the overall vibrancy and foot traffic of urban landscapes. I'm already nostalgic for last year's IMF/World Bank protests.
Meanwhile a lesser-known theory, the "Broken Windscreen" theory, flourishes in relative obscurity wherever brick sidewalks and bus shelters come together in the dark of night.
I thought I would have heard about it if the broken windows theory had been disproven!
Ahem, it's not a "complete fallacy" there is still is a proven correlation between (actual) poor neighborhood upkeep and crime (petty crime especially). All that article said was that the racial makeup of a neighborhood affects peoples' perception of disorder. (thus, *if* what matters is perception, then *maybe* crime rates wouldn't change)
Personally, I think the modest broken windows correlation we see really just reflects social stake in a neighborhood, which you can't fix with just a new coat of paint only. But it's still good criminological theory!
Molly?
1) How fitting that there is a big poster with the word "respect" (well, respekt anyway) that the vandal(s) surely would have seen.
2) I've always found the vandalism of bus shelters to be the most incredibly stupid crime available. Anyone that would do this is likely to have to ride the bus himself (let's face it, this was a man's doing) and his friends and family probably ride the bus as well. It's so unabashedly self-destructive.
People used to vandalize the bus stop I would ride from my high school. The people that broke the glass and ruined the bench were the very same people that could have used the windblocker and seat! Idiot idiot people.
(let's face it, this was a man's doing)
Right, because women never get into any sort of trouble in this town. Uh-huh. Nice sexism there.
Connection to the Summer Jobs Program coming in 3...2...
I have no idea why DC is still paying kids to throw rocks at bus shelters. This has to be the worst use of Summer Jobs Program funds since that teen organ harvesting and charcuterie restaurant internship. Marion Barry has a lot to aswer for!
Beat me to it.
Of course Graham tried to use the Summer Jobs Program to create a guild of elite assassins, but it all fell apart when they botched their first assignment. Stick to loitering laws hotshot.
So does this mean that Clear Channel is on the hook to pay for the damage to the new stops? If so, maybe it's an angry bike rider pissed off at Clear Channel's foot dragging over SmartBike expansion.
Oh, and the way they absolutely ruined commercial radio...
My guess is either a disgruntled/recently fired employee, or someone who owns a glass company looking to drum up business.
Stupid idiots. If the perp is caught, they should be made to eat all of the shattered glass. (After all, Mr. Mangetout could do it.)
The vandals should be put to work (without pay of course) in replacing the glass panels at all locations. If they can mess it up then they surely can clean it up. I also agree that it was stupid not to use plexiglass instead. And another thing, nothing is getting fixed in the metro because all of the money seem to be going towards the new bus shelters.
How does someone (or some people) smash 20 bus shelters in the middle of the city and not get caught?
I was thinking the exact same thing. Breaking a 6x3 pane of glass into tiny bits isn't exactly a stealth operation. Someone had to have heard something...
Tempered glass tends to shatter in to tiny bits like that from point impacts. All you need is something sharp and hard. Ceramic shards from a sparkplug will do the trick; put 'em on the end of a string and you've got a tiny, pocketable flail. I don't know how much noise all that falling glass would make, but it probably doesn't sound like breaking panes of glass... 'oh, that's probably just someone dumping gravel out of their car'.
I'm thinking that they could use a center punch.
They're really, really (X20) good at it.
won't somebody pleeeeze think of the children!
Also, MPD is worthless.
good to see our tax dollars went to use constructing worthless bus shelters.
are you stupid?
Yet another reason why I walk.
who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men
or women
or palm
the shadow do
Twas the disgruntled tired. Notice how the new shelters' benches do not allow the homeless to sleep on them.
I will be utterly amused if it turns out not to be vandalism, but instead a weather-related phenomenon.
Oh! Look Smithers! A bird has become petrified and lost its sense of direction.
Clear Channel-maintained, huh? Maybe the vandal(s) is/are anti-capitalists, a la anti- G-8/Starbucks...
There are thousands of surveillance cameras all over this city. I'd be surprised if they couldn't get a make/model/partial plate.
it was me. i saw a dog that looked just like me and had to go for him. there is no other dog like Me.