Neighborhood Watch: “Quite the Little Night” Near Catholic U.
The Issue: Some Catholic University of America (CUA) students living off campus like to party. They're loud, they stay up late—and worse.
Crack Down!: Resident Tyler Nelson describes a party on Monroe Street over the Labor Day weekend that turned into "quite the little night." He writes on the D.C. police department's Fifth District listserv:
The party had a number of ... behaviors that we have seen before from guests of this house. Underage drinking, guests walking with open containers, trash everywhere, cars parking in the middle of street for minutes at a time. What made this party so egregious was the shear number of guests inside and outside of the house, the volume of noise caused, consistent expletives shouted, and the fact the residents were illegally charging for entrance to the party and were doing so out in the open.
He and others want CUA and police to do more to crack down on "problem" houses, "nuisance" students, and illegal activities.
Leave Them Kids Alone: Eric, on the listserv, has a different take:
Dude, seriously, I think in DC the least of our worries is a group of college kids having a party. Just go talk to them. Most college kids are actually scared of the cops. So the parties are easily shut down or quieted. Also, they are unlikely to shoot you if you go talk to them. The Howard parties in our neighborhood are occasionally a problem, but the kids are ok so just go talk with them.
Some say a police crackdown is a waste of resources and urge the complainers to, well, move. Adds Steven Conn:
If having a Saturday night party was the biggest threat to my block, I'd be thrilled. Instead, I deal with 24/7 loitering - and daily souvenirs of beer bottles and take away containers / garbage strewn all over the block, not to mention the daily noise pollution.
Next Step: Lamar Greene, the 5D commander, says police responded to the weekend bash and met with CUA officials "who agreed to respond to these parties as well." He has asked for any photo documentation of party activities taken by neighborhood residents so he can follow up further with the university. "We have made arrest last weekend at on[e] of the parties.... I will review the calls for service at this location and find out who from my office responded to the call and review their actions once on the scene."
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4:24 pm
Underage drinking? People walking around with beer cups? CARS PARKING IN THE STREET FOR MINUTES AT A TIME?!?
Oh wait, that sounds like Columbia Heights pretty much all the time. Never mind.
It's sometimes annoying sure. But I just remind myself that I have been to parties like that. I have carried a beer cup outside of a private residence on at least one occasion in my life. I may have even parked my car in the street for minutes at a time before.
I will never call the police about a (harmless) party since that would make me a hypocrite, or, at the very least, a party pooper.
I did yell at a couple of my jackass neighbors for shooting bb guns a few days ago, though. That was pretty lame. Also something I did as a kid, but that was IN THE WOODS for chrissake, not on a city street with houses, cars and kids.
4:50 pm
Oh... that last comment from the cops reminds me of this important story from The Onion
"Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics To Find Cause of Dorm Fire"
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/police_slog_through_40_000
10:25 pm
Wow City Desk please post some context and do your due diligence about the email that you speak of.
This specific house has been a problem for this neighborhood for over the last two years. The neighbors of this house had to deal with multiple illegal and dangerous behavior, we have multiple specific examples over the last two years that I will not post here.
Also you probably should ask folks when publishing their names when quoting a "private" listserv, is bad form old bean.
1:06 am
This is absolutely absurd. Four blocks from a college campus, in between a bus station and a fire house and these neighbors are complaining about a bunch of kids. What do you expect, are these neighbors actually fearing for their lives. The police are wasting their time if they feel that these parties are in anyway negatively affecting the community because trying to eliminate college parties is a lost cause. Would you rather a bunch of kids drink in the same vicinity of the campus, or would you rather them scrap up a fake ID and go to a bar where they are unaware of their surroundings. Go to the house and address the problem yourselves if you have an issue, I'm sure the kids would be more than happy to try and abide to your wishes because everyone's just trying to have a good time, but calling the police and frustrating everyone on the block just makes this situation a whole lot worse. Brookland police need to focus on real issues, instead of lecturing some kids about the inevitables. Everyone is well aware that Monroe goes hard, harder than Irving every will that's for sure. It's college Brookland, let's be logical.
1:59 am
Sorry dude Monroe "doesn't go hard" unless you mean falling down drunk "hard". To put context around this, the problem house was purchased by an absentee landlord a little of two years ago, with no problems at all before that. There were some rental houses on this block that have never had any issues. They even had parties and "gasp" acted like considerate adults and not spoiled children.
Hate to burst your bubble but these parties and the antics of their guests are very much negatively affecting the community. There is plenty of illegal activities that are not life threatening. Noise Pollution late into the night, public vomiting, urination, trash, multiple issues with flammable materials,damage to property including 1500 car damage, kids passed out drunk in the driver seat of their car, drunken driving, how is that not dangerous? Most of us have families, jobs, and responsibilities and need to get a decent amount of sleep. How would this not negatively affect this block, or even adjacent blocks?
The whole idea of "some" students who feel their are entitled to behave like they are on jackass is nonsense. I honestly could care less if folks drink as long as they are smart and considerate about it, however the past and current residents of this house fail to do so, consistently. They cannot self monitor themselves and their guests. The parties of this house are anything but normal college parties and to think this is normal and acceptable behavior is completely absurd.
Also for us to care where folks get their illegal alcohol is a completely illogical argument. We should plan our life around their illegal drinking and behavior, i think not.
There's an easy test for this, would one behave like this in front of their mom or at their mom's house? If you wouldn't than that behavior is not acceptable at one's rental house. Sorry. Actually had one of these "captains of industry" relieve himself full frontal in front of my neighbors' very catholic 60 year sister.
Yeah that's classy.
2:06 am
neighbors have tried to work it out the past with residents of this house to on avail. The kids seem well meaning and try however it just happens again, they can not self police, it is over all problem
Also to your point about frustrating everyone on the block, all non cua houses are unified against this type of behavior from this house.
Regards
6:58 am
Seriously? We're talking talking about a house party on a holiday weekend. Its not like the kids were kicking it on a weeknight. Geesh, give me a break.
11:34 am
Brookland Residents: You live in a COLLEGE NEIGHBORHOOD. The college has been there far longer than you. Learn to live with it, or move. You bought/rented your house knowing full well the ramifications of the decision. Live with it and stop comlaining!! All I hear out of Brookland residents is complaining of various sorts, conspiracy theories, and hyper-NIMBYism.
And no, I have no affiliation with CUA or any University for that matter. Just a healthy dose of common sense.
8:55 pm
Why don't the neighbors crack down on the violence in this area rather than the drunk college students??? How about they call the cops for all the muggings that go on on a regular basis on Monroe Street. I think people with guns are more of a threat than drunk kids holding plastic cups.
These parties aren't new. For the last 4 years houses in the area have had parties, and I'm sure even before I went here, they've had parties, this is nothing new.
11:08 pm
I do not understand why these residents feel entitled to such high-demanding disciplinary enforcement from both the University and District-5 MPD if all they're going to do is criticize them for not doing their jobs. Not only to these police officials have to deal with the frequent criminal acts that occur on a daily basis within the area, they now have to respond to these stuck-up residents who can't understand that living next to a University means an occasional student party. In the most recent MPD-5D listserv, Brian - a Brookland resident on Newton street - discusses how officers in the past have been lenient on alleged "problem" houses and states that "The fact is MPD can do better in PSA 502."
These residents seem to have a problem with the students, the University, and now even the way their law enforcement is doing their job. Could they, in fact, be the ones causing the problem? Why can't they seem to get over the fact that they live in an area where noise pollution is undeniably inevitable? I think by pointing the finger of blame at the students, these residents are blind to the fact that their whining is wasting limited police resources and taking away from important college experiences for students whose rights as Brookland residents are being ignored because a few people refuse to welcome them into the community.
9:12 am
I live exactly adjacent to the house in question. It is important to mention that the neighbors ask me if it was 'ok' to have the party. Seeing as it was on a holiday weekend and nobody would have to work the next day there was hardly a reason to say no.
As for noise, I was able to study with my window open without being distracted. The only time I heard a thing was when the owners of the house went outside to tell the people smoking to quiet down. How inconsiderate!
I only moved a few months ago, but honestly since then those girls have been excellent neighbors. Just because problem students lived their before doesn't mean the new tenets should be punished. It was a holiday weekend! If you had a problem with a party it's because you should have been at one yourself!
By the way, the person who is complaining about the house has been videotaping the girls. Very, VERY creepy if you ask me! They are certainly not the neighbors I'm worried about.