Forgetting the purpose of the Right to Life protest what was MPD’s logic in allowing all of their buses to load and unload in the middle of Capitol Hill?

I spent 25 minutes trying to cross (with a crossing guard no less) 6th Street to Mass Ave at Stanton Square Park last night around 5 pm. There were hundreds of kids running around the park waiting for their buses. That square is a giant traffic mess in a regular rush hour let alone when there are 10-15 charter buses idling. Then when I finally reached my car to drive to Walter Reed there were another 5-10 buses parked along the H street overpass behind union station picking up kids who were sprinting across the highway.

MPD has really disappointed me the last 3 days. I was one of the Purple Tunnel doom victims and now this!

Please let me know the logic.

Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement. Furthermore, Chief Lanier indicated the initial suspected motive of robbery was eventually determined by investigators to not be correct and that the death of Mr. Hunter resulted from an altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna, during which Mr. Hunter suffered injuries which lead to his death.

Mr. Hanna will be presented in the District of Columbia Superior Court, at which time a judge will determine if he will be released or jailed pending the judicial process.

Note: I’ve seen different spellings of the suspect’s name, re: Hanna/Hannah, from MPD documents. Will update when I get word from MPD.

Full statement after the jump.

From GLLU Community Outreach Specialist Matt Ashburn:

On October 15, 2008, members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPDC) Joint Fugitive Task force located and arrested 18 year old Robert Hanna, who was being sought pursuant to a District of Columbia Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with Voluntary Manslaughter, related to the death of Tony Randolph Hunter.

Members of the MPDC’s Homicide Branch, particularly Detectives Jacqueline Middleton and Jed Worrell, along with members of the Joint Fugitive Task Force, worked tirelessly to ensure the capture of Mr. Hanna. Chief Lanier held a press conference this afternoon, during which she thanked members of the community who had cooperated with investigators and also the countless tips that were forwarded to investigators using the MPDC’s TIP line.

Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement. Furthermore, Chief Lanier indicated the initial suspected motive of robbery was eventually determined by investigators to not be correct and that the death of Mr. Hunter resulted from an altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna, during which Mr. Hunter suffered injuries which lead to his death.

Mr. Hanna will be presented in the District of Columbia Superior Court, at which time a judge will determine if he will be released or jailed pending the judicial process.
–
Matt W. Ashburn, Auxiliary #1314
Special Liaison Unit
Executive Office of the Chief of Police
Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department
1369-A Connecticut Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
E-mail: matthew.ashburn@dc.gov

Details alleged in the suit, via Examiner:

In 1998, Gilkey told investigators in the Hall-Johnson probe that while working in the dark room, Gilkey turned around and saw Gresham holding his penis and smiling. Gilkey ran out of the room and reported it to Gresham’s supervisor.

Over the years, Gilkey said, Gresham offered her thousands of dollars to perform sex acts, commented about her breasts, introduced something called a “peter meter,” brushed up against her in the dark room with an erection, grabbed her breasts and showed her pornography.

In March 2006, Gresham struck Gilkey on the top of her head with a telephone receiver so hard that she bled, the suit alleges.

In 2003, Gresham was awarded with a Metropolitan Police Department lifetime achievement service award. In the program [PDF], Gresham was described as “a consummate photography professional” in “all respects.”

* On September 19, GLLU responded to a call from a Maryland man who claimed that his ex-boyfriend had stalked him, and in the process caused “damage to the victim’s personal and work vehicle, the vehicle of a friend and also the victim’s home.”

* On September 18, an intoxicated person was arrested in Adams Morgan after yelling “racial and homophobic epithets at pedestrians, as well as making physical threats towards them.”

* On September 19, police responded to a complaint from a 15-year-old student at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, who “was complaining he was sexually assaulted by another male student three weeks prior to reporting the incident to his mother.”

* On September 20, police responded to reports of an assault in the Dupont Circle area. The victim claimed to have been “attacked by his former boyfriend at a local bar,” suffering injuries that “did not require medical attention.”

* Later that day, police arrived at a hospital in response to sexual assault claims from a 21-year-old male. The patient claimed that the night before, he “was rendered unconscious by an unknown means and ended up in the rear of a residence,” where he “believes he may have been the victim of a sexual assault.”

* On September 21, a “semi-conscious” man was found at the corner of 8th St and Florida Ave. NW., the apparent victim of a hit-and-run. There is no description of the suspect, whose vehicle is described as a “brown or burgundy Mazda.”

Read the complete GLLU blotter after the jump.

On 9/17/08, a resident of Maryland contact the GLLU to seek advise regarding the stalking behavior of his ex-boyfriend. According to the male caller, the suspect had caused damage to the victim’s personal and work vehicle, the vehicle of a friend and also the victim’s home. Since all offenses occurred in the state of Maryland, the victim was referred to the Maryland States Attorney’s Office and his local police department for assistance.

On Thursday, 9/18/08, at approximately 11:30 p.m., members of the Third District were summoned to a disorderly person in the 2400 block of 18th Street, N.W. Upon arriving on the scene, they located the suspect, who was highly intoxicated. The suspect was yelling racist and homophobic epithets at pedestrians, as well as making physical threats towards them. The suspect was arrested and the crime was classified as a potential hate/bias crime based upon race and sexual orientation.

On Friday, 9/19/08, members of the Fifth District responded the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, on the campus of Gallaudet University, for the call for a sexual assault. Upon arriving on the scene, the learned that a 15 year old male student was complaining he was sexually assaulted by another male student three weeks prior to reporting the incident to his mother. Members of the Youth Investigations Branch and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Liaison Unit are investigating.

On 9/20/08, at approximately 2 a.m., members of the Second District responded to the area of 33rd and M Streets, N.W. for the report of an assault. Upon arrival, they located the victim, who stated he was attacked by his former boyfriend at a local bar, in the area of 22nd and P Streets, N.W. The suspect was no longer on the scene and a warrant for his arrest will be obtained. The victim suffered minor injuries and did not require medical attention.

On 9/20/08, at approximately 3 p.m., members of the Second District responded to a local hospital for the complaint of a sexual assault. Upon arrival, a 21 year old male complained that on 9/19/08 sometime between 1 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., he was rendered unconscious by an unknown means and ended up in the rear of a residence in the 1700 block of R Street, N.W. The victim believes he may have been the victim of a sexual assault. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Investigations Unit are investigating his allegation.

In the early morning hours of 9/21/08, a male was located in a semi-conscious state at the intersection of 8th Street and Florida Avenue, N.W. The investigation revealed the male was crossing outside the crosswalk, when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound in the 800 block of Florida Avenue, N.W. The vehicle fled the scene without the driver making his/her identity known or rendering assistance to the injured pedestrian. The vehicle is described as a brown or burgundy Mazda. There is not a description of the operator or a license plate number. The victim was treated and released from a local hospital.