(Photo by John Muller)
By DCist contributor John Muller
Over the past three weeks, paintballers uniformed in camouflage and protective body gear have descended on Morris Road SE, shooting each other and everything in sight with low caliber paint pellets.
Dumpsters, bus stops, parked cars, apartment buildings, street signs marking the boundaries of the Anacostia Historic District, and even city-owned vacant property has been sprayed.
There have been isolated incidents before, both east of the river and in crosstown neighborhoods, including one in March that left three people injured, but the scale of urban paintballing in the past few weeks appears to be unprecedented in D.C.
“A group of 15- 20 came through Bangor Street [SE] last night around 11 last night,” wrote a resident of Bangor Street in an email to neighbors. “All in army fatigues and some with head gear. They conducted a couple of skermishes [sic] leaving splatters of paint on walls and cars then moved, back toward Morris Road … splatters all over the buildings and on the retaining walls for the houses on Talbert.”
Some residents have had enough and are pledging to put pressure on the city.
“If it takes all of us to dial the 7th District let’s all of us dial the 7th District,” Pat Makin, a resident on U Street SE wrote to the Historic Anacostia listerv. “If it was somewhere else in the city, Georgetown or Capitol Hill, I guarantee you they would have had a response or more than one response by now.”
In a statement provided to DCist, MPD says that it is aware of the “ongoing issue of individuals illegally discharging paintball guns in Wards 7 and 8, causing property damage and concerning those living nearby. Rest assured, our officers are working to identify these individuals and hold them accountable.”
Neighbors initially believed that a group of juveniles were responsible for the spate of shootings on Morris Road, but videos shared on Facebook and other social media platforms appear to show an older group of young men have joined what they are calling the “DC Paint Ball Wars.”
Even though much of the property damage has occurred at night, the paintballers have also pulled out in broad daylight. Video posted to social media about a week ago shows a rooftop shootout in Benning Terrace, also known as Simple City. Video of paintballers patrolling alleyways has also been published.
There is a running crossfire most nights on Morris Road, according to one property manager. “The biggest problem is they don’t live here,” the employee tells DCist, preferring to stay anonymous for safety reasons. “People are coming from other neighborhoods to shoot each other, the building, people’s cars, and they’re even threatening to shoot tenants.”
Like the illegal bike and ATV rides through residential neighborhoods, some say there should be a dedicated space for paintballing and dirt biking to happen in a controlled environment. “When we don’t create space in the city for these activities (paint ball, ATVs, etc), this is what we deal with,” Ward 7 ANC Commissioner Anthony Lorenzo Green, formerly an ANC Commissioner in Ward 8, writes on Facebook. “Sending police to chase them down is NOT a solution.”
Some on social media and the community have praised the paint ballers, saying they’d rather have them armed with paint pellets than live rounds.
“Bodies drop over there almost daily,” said a source who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of her job. “The [Bald Eagle Recreation Center] isn’t officially involved but they expressed relief that the young men are shooting paintballs instead of guns.”
Others are worried of a potential faceoff.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen, as the police won’t recognize [a] paintball gun vs a real gun,” Kimberly Boxley wrote in an email to the Historic Anacostia listserv.
“I’m glad this is being talked about,” Lestine Johnson wrote on the Great Ward 8 Facebook group discussing the growing problem. “Past Friday, my 16 yr old daughter [was] walking to the Naylor Rd subway minding her business. She had on her headphones and some guys tried talking to her. She kept on walking and stopped at Suitland and Naylor Road intersection waiting to cross when out of nowhere she got shot with a paintball gun. She received minor bruising on her wrist. She was scared. This is sad.”
