The District police department has created an MVP list — for Most Violent People — and it has focused its attention on 39 members of two warring gangs in Ward 4 who are considered most likely “to be shot or shoot.” Police have long been pushing to quell the violent exchanges between the two Petworth gangs that roam Georgia Avenue. Among the highest-profile shootings was the August slaying of Neil Godleski, a 31-year-old Catholic University student who was gunned down in Sherman Circle. His killing led to a community outcry. Since then, Police Chief Cathy Lanier has been meeting with community members to inform them of the department’s efforts to stem the tide of daytime gunfire exchanges and robberies. On Wednesday morning, she took that presentation to Mayor Vince Gray and the D.C. Council, presenting the department’s gang-fighting efforts during the elected officials’ monthly breakfast meeting.
“In Ward 4 we have a list of 39 people most likely to be shot or shoot,” Lanier said. She added, “Between 65 and 70 percent are under some sort of court-ordered supervision.” Many of the gang members have had 13 or 14 arrests for robbery and carjacking, the chief said.
Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham said gang violence in Ward 4 and across the city could be prevented if the District did a better job of gang prevention and fighting substance abuse when youth are held at the city’s juvenile detention center, New Beginnings.
“There’s a near-complete absence of substance abuse treatment at New Beginnings,” said Graham, whose committee oversees the juvenile justice agency. “We also have the opportunity to address issues of gang involvement and we’re not doing it.”
Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser told The Washington Examiner that the police department has been “working very hard” to stop the violence in Petworth. But Bowser said she’d like to see more help from the city’s human services, which could help by reaching out the gang members’ families.
“The mayor has created a deputy mayor for [public safety] and a deputy mayor for human services, and if they work together they can add a different layer around this issue,” Bowser said. “We’ll see what the results will be.”
