Concerned residents, city government representatives gather outside the Sonata on Mass. Ave. NW. Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes.

On the roof of the Sonata – one of the luxury condo buildings to spring up on Massachusetts Avenue NW in the past ten years – about 50 residents, as well as several representatives from the city government and police department, gathered to discuss the issues at the so-called Cobbs Park.

Located between Second Street, H Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW, the small park is covered by garbage, smells of urine and is home to some criminal activity, according to residents. Cobbs Park, as it’s known, is located just blocks from Pathways Transitional Housing and Gospel Rescue Ministries, and homelessness is believed to be a part of the issue at park.

At Monday’s meeting, residents expressed their disgust at the condition of the park, saying people are urinating and defecating there. One female resident said she’s been harassed and followed, while others said prostitution takes place there and nearby. Another woman said she’s witnessed fist fights in the park.

A nearby resident, who said she’s been formerly homeless, expressed concern about the tone taken on listservs about the park and the people who stay there, adding that they’re dealing with the “severe issue of displacement [and] mental health needs.” She wanted to hear how the needs of the citizens who frequent the park would be addressed.

Another resident agreed, saying, “We can’t throw them aside because we’re building luxury buildings.”

Indeed, all gathered indicated they wanted to help the people living in the park, but many were looking for a short-term fix to the problems. However, near-future solutions to how to make the park safe for all residents were few in number.

Metropolitan Police Department Commander Daniel Hickson said 52 arrests have been made at the park since July, mostly for open container (or POCA) violations. Police sweep the park every two hours, Hickson said, adding that one of the biggest problems at the park is the selling of synthetic marijuana.

Hickson admitted that the police can only put a bandaid on the problem, not fix the underlying issues.

“We can’t arrest out way out of this situation,” Hickson said. He later offered police escorts to residents who wanted to organize a Saturday cleanup of the park

Quincy Booth, chief of staff to D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Paul Quander, said they city has been working on a plan for the last several months and are preparing to take the next steps. Specifics were not provided at the meeting.

A representative from the Department of Human Services said an outreach team has been in contact with the homeless people living at the park. Many have refused help, she said.

Michael Lightfoot from the Department of Parks and Recreation encouraged residents to go to the park to utilize it and talk with the people staying there. Many in the crowd said they’ve tried that to no avail.

Increasing the amount of affordable housing was brought up by more than one representative in attendance. But as a resident in the crowd pointed out, that could take years. What about now?