E-List Roundup
Every Tuesday and Thursday, we run down what's going on in local Internet discussion groups.
Brookland
Dissatisfied with cops’ sluggish response to non-emergency 311 calls, Brian tries to buck society's commonly held notions of what constitutes a 911 emergency. With a touch of semantic massaging, the Brooklander can turn a noisy Catholic U party into a five-alarm crisis. “[D]rinking alcohol in public, public urination, littering, DWI, etc. these are immediate, *SERIOUS CRIMES* covered by specific statutes in the DC Code,” he writes. “If you are losing sleep (i.e., your health), your ‘peace’ is being disturbed after say, 10 p.m. at night...than I would argue that it is an exigent, criminal event, worthy of a call to 911.” Anyone bother to think about this for more than a few seconds? Oh, there you are, Kelly: “What if ya'lls calls diverted a cop from an armed robbery, car jacking or was the difference between apprehending a murderer and leaving a crime unsolved?” Nice effort, but Brian's not persuaded. “One person's indigestion may just as easily be another's fatal heart attack in progress,” he rationalizes, after looking up “emergency” on his Mac's dictionary. “Accordingly, ‘emergency’ may rightfully be given very broad interpretation by the victim (or Samaritans) calling.”
Mount Pleasant DC
Councilmember Jim Graham heralds the addition of two more crime-fighting surveillance cameras to Ward 1. “We already have a crime camera at 14th and Girard,” he boasts. “That will now be joined by a camera at Georgia and Morton, which will scan the area of the small mall there. And another will be on 18th Street just north of Belmont. I think both locations are excellent choices which I hope will soon be joined by others.” Then, perhaps in a wink to his civil-liberties-minded voters, Graham takes the opportunity to express his rather mealy-mouthed, cover-all-the-bases stance on said cameras. “Let me repeat that I am opposed to cameras used for surveillance of First Amendment expressions. I have consistently voted against such use. However, to my mind, cameras do have an appropriate though limited utility to dislodge embedded crime. However, police must be prepared to give chase once that dislodgment takes place.” Got that?
WardOneDC
Laurie Collins e-mails the group a Washington Post op-ed article in which Colbert I. King chides a Linda Cropp supporter for delivering the columnist a 146-page, dirt-filled dossier on Adrian Fenty (and requesting anonymity). Dominic Sale, a known Cropp booster and former Mount Pleasant advisory neighborhood commissioner, then chastens Laurie for disseminating the King column. “Laurie, I understand how someone as zealous as you are about Fenty could see this article as advantageous to...his campaign, but have you even considered the downside?” he asks. “The sad fact is that negative campaining has been proven again and again to work, and you have become the unwitting messenger of information that could do more harm than good to your candidate's prospects.” But Laurie seems to have gotten just what she wanted. “Ok, whatever you say Dominic,” she writes. “You are so bait-able.…”
11:24 am
This kind of stuff happens when Laurie Collins stops taking her meduication.
Everybody knows that Laurie is the freak of Mt. Pleasant and most people see her as the number one nut job of our ward.
3:06 pm
Laurie a medicated nut job?
She is by far one of the most beautiful women I've seen around and an asset to this city.
You are the one who needs medication!
5:15 pm
For the record, I have nothing personal against Laurie, and I agree with the last commenter that she is indeed a beautiful woman. We just have very fundamental differences in opinions on issues affecting our neighborhood, and the means by which we choose to address them. I wish her, and her candidate the best of luck in the upcoming election.
7:43 pm
If it was up to Laurie, every business that sells liquor in Mt. Pleasant would be closed down.
Laurie is well know for challenging liquor lincensing and the hidden dislike for her is great.
9:59 am
Apparently you don't know Laurie Collins at all. Laurie has a great relationship with the businesses in Mt. Pleasant and would never think to try and close any business selling alcohol or, for that matter, the ones who do not sell alcohol.
There are far greater numbers of people who applaud her for what she does than those who oppose her. She stands tall against her opposition and does a stellar job representing the members of the community organization.
She's is also very hot looking.
I wouldn't mind her representing me at all.....
4:20 pm
I have worked with Laurie on several local issues. She is an outstanding individual, hard working, selfless and imaginative. When she says she’s going to do something she does it. The world class good looks are an added bonus for those work with her!
7:59 am
Why then did Laurie oppose the liquor license for Marx Cafe and Don Juan Restaurant and lodged numerous complaints against them?
11:01 am
Jaime,
You might want to read up on protests and voluntary agreements and maybe you will understand the process. If you don't like the process, then speak to your Councilmember to change the laws.
Second, you might "assume" Laurie made complaints against these establishments, but until you post your proof of this, then who can really believe what you say? I hardly doubt she did. That's not her style.
There are a greater number of people in Mount Pleasant who I know personally that would file complaints against establishments, especailly Don Juan's--that crap hole.
So have any of these places closed down? No, so let's go back and talk about how pretty she is. I think we can all agree on that, right?
1:35 pm
Laurie,
This is the guy who drives the miata. Let's have dinner sometime & discuss the issues related to Ward 1. I hope you don't mind that I'm married. I also don't have wine w/dinner because I'm dead against liquor sales in Ward 1. If you are on medication, can you bring some of your meds?