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Hey everyone.
I'm currently writing a book that takes place in Anacostia and surrounding DC/PG county areas. However I'm lacking a lot of info on Anacostia itself. The story follows a struggling nineteen year old who was thrown out of her middle class home and ends up on the streets of Anacostia, homeless.
I need any and all information you can give me on this area, its people, the problems, gangs, neighborhoods (the names, are they nice?, issues, gangs, crime, etc,), crime in general, etc.
If you have been or are a resident there or have any experiences there that could help me get a better view of what its like, please share!
Not to be ugly but why Anacostia? The character could be homeless in a location you're more familiar and it would be easier to write the story. Homeless people are all over DC and in the suburbs as well. The Post did a real interesting article about homeless folks outside the beltway. Either way good luck with your book.
Well, the location had to fit certain characteristics and Anacostia was the only place that did. I am from around the area, I've lived in areas close to it and I'm currently living just outside of DC in PG county. I know the basics about Anacostia, but need a more in depth look because I want to be as accurate as possible.
Ah. Well as a writer, well wanna-be I should say, your question picqued my interset (I guess that's spelt right). I guess I'll have to read your book to find out what specific characteristics come into play. I was reading an article in the Post that you might want to google that talks about gangs. There was a map with the number of gangs and crews that the police know of by ward. Interestingly enough that section (I think ward 8 but dont' quote me) had the second fewest amount of gangs after Georgetown. However it had the most crews. I think crews are smaller and less orginized basically a few guys causing trouble together versus in an established orginization. So maybe Anacostia has a more individualistic attitude towards crime.
The gangs seem to be more concentrated in Columbia Heights (according to the map). Honestly until I moved here I thought they got rid of gangs in the 80s. Perhaps black crime is more individualistic while in more Hispanic areas there are more gangs. They say Herndon has a big MS13 territory so it's not just a city thing. So maybe reading more articles about Anacostia would help along with maybe driving around the neighborhood to get a feel of the place. Good luck.
It was built as a nice upper crust suburban type enclave within the city.
Specifically, Hillcrest was home to much of Washington's professional class.
It was ethnically diverse almost from the start, but after WW2 many black families began locating there, and by the early 60s it was basically a well-integrated middle class neighborhood -- probably half white and half black.
And then . . . .
The riots kicked off 30 years of "white flight" from the city, including Anacostia.
They built a highway that cut off the neighborhood from its waterfont.
Marion Barry.
Crack.
Slow recovery in pockets, but the worst schools in the city, combined with near zero grocery/retail options, let a lone a sit-down restaurant, keep Ward 8 what it is and what it's been.
There was a map with the number of gangs and crews that the police know of by ward. Interestingly enough that section (I think ward 8 but dont' quote me) had the second fewest amount of gangs after Georgetown. However it had the most crews. I think crews are smaller and less orginized basically a few guys causing trouble together versus in an established orginization. So maybe Anacostia has a more individualistic attitude towards crime.
Actually, this is very misleading. DC's police department (the MPD) has been using the term "crews" for years to mislead people into thinking that DC didn't have a gang problem. This was really a PR stunt. The reality is that just about all the crews in DC have and have always had some connection with the larger gangs that we hear more of (Bloods, Crips, MS-13, etc). The crews are just as dangerous, sometimes more so because they don't have the direct hierarchy of gangs readily present.
The biggest problem in DC now is that the crews/gangs have returned to dealing in PCP. The MPD has seen a huge surge in PCP-related crime. It's leading to a lot of the brazen muggings and attacks we are hearing about. The crews are also more frequently committing attack robberies, where 4 or 5 young men jump some poor person walking home from the metro or bus stop. In most of these cases, the victim is beaten pretty badly.
The MPD and city as a whole is notorious for trying to cover up its various gang/crew problems with clever PR tricks. The sad reality is that most of DC's neighboroods do have severe problems with these gangs/crews and the City Council doesn't want to do a darn thing about it.
Actually, this is very misleading. DC's police department (the MPD) has been using the term "crews" for years to mislead people into thinking that DC didn't have a gang problem. This was really a PR stunt. The reality is that just about all the crews in DC have and have always had some connection with the larger gangs that we hear more of (Bloods, Crips, MS-13, etc). The crews are just as dangerous, sometimes more so because they don't have the direct hierarchy of gangs readily present.
The biggest problem in DC now is that the crews/gangs have returned to dealing in PCP. The MPD has seen a huge surge in PCP-related crime. It's leading to a lot of the brazen muggings and attacks we are hearing about. The crews are also more frequently committing attack robberies, where 4 or 5 young men jump some poor person walking home from the metro or bus stop. In most of these cases, the victim is beaten pretty badly.
The MPD and city as a whole is notorious for trying to cover up its various gang/crew problems with clever PR tricks. The sad reality is that most of DC's neighboroods do have severe problems with these gangs/crews and the City Council doesn't want to do a darn thing about it.
I assume all of this information is clearly and carefully sourced, correct?
I live in one of the neighborhoods with the highest increase in street muggings, and there's been no mention of an increase in PCP dealing or use. Far more likely, it has to do with the increase in "money" in the neighborhood. The running joke in Dupont is that it's viewed as a "walking ATM".
Well, the location had to fit certain characteristics and Anacostia was the only place that did. I am from around the area, I've lived in areas close to it and I'm currently living just outside of DC in PG county. I know the basics about Anacostia, but need a more in depth look because I want to be as accurate as possible.
- How about if you just ride the Green Line to the Anacostia Metro? Then just walk around and talk to people who live there. If you're 'from around PG County' then you should have enough street smarts to keep yourself safe.
- Writing about homeless people? Go volunteer at a homeless shelter, develop some contacts, and interview them. I doubt most will not turn down a the opportunity to tell their story.
- Finally, if you want the inside scoop on gangs, go interview police officers who patrol the area.
SJ4
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