Metro Station Called Hub of Problem
by Petula Dvorak, Washington Post
Donation envelopes and church bulletins were fanned vigorously throughout Takoma Park Baptist Church last night by at least 350 residents who packed the pews and lined the aisles to express concern about crime in the Northwest Washington neighborhood of Takoma and the surrounding area.
“I’ve lived here 28 years and this is the worst crime I’ve seen,” said Loretta Neuman, who told Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and other city and police officials that she became afraid to walk from the Takoma Metro stop to her home after a woman was fatally shot during an apparent robbery Aug. 9.
“That’s the hub of the problem here, the Metro station. And I often work late at night and have no choice but to walk home alone,” Neuman said, to a chorus of applause, hollers and “Amens.”
The Takoma section of the District is adjacent to the city of Takoma Park, in Maryland, and both use the same Red Line Metro stop. Although last night’s meeting was intended primarily for residents of the D.C. neighborhood, some people at the church came from Maryland.
Both neighborhoods are characterized by tree-shaded streets and single-family houses, although the degree of safety on the streets varies from block to block and place to place. Many residents of both areas rely on public transportation rather than on automobile use, making safety around the Metro stop a key concern, particularly after Seattle lawyer Katie Lynn Hill was killed while walking from the Metro to a relative’s home. Hill, 36, was visiting Washington for the first time to attend a convention.
“The criminals know we’re walking home from the Metro,” said Tessa Harrington, 25, who said she was attacked about four blocks from the station about a year ago. “I believe the death of Katie Lynn Hill could’ve been prevented if police had a better way of notifying us about crimes happening in the neighborhood, if maybe police posted crimes in the station and we knew what to look out for.”
Residents have complained in recent years about robberies and assaults near the Metro station, and D.C. and Takoma Park police promised better cooperation after a spike in robberies this year.
Neuman suggested that Williams consider establishing a bus escort service for Metro riders.
“I have no problem taking a cab home from the Metro, but then we found out the Metro station manager was shooing the cabs away from the station,” Neuman said.
Another resident suggested that police post foot patrols at the station and escort residents home on foot. Someone else noted that the towering trees block streetlights and provide cover for criminals. And yet another resident suggested that residents take self-defense classes and passed out fliers for his karate studio.
Throughout the meeting, a woman wrote each suggestion on a giant easel. A task force announced at the beginning of the meeting by council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) will consider the proposals.
Executive Assistant Police Chief Michael Fitzgerald said the problem with the patrols that reduced crime in Takoma this summer is that they cover specific trouble spots, often moving criminals a few blocks away.
“We do a good job of covering these hot spots,” Fitzgerald said. “But this is year-round, and we have to pay attention when it’s hot and when it isn’t, and see where the crime went.”
Williams praised the brainstorming underway in the small church and promised to consider the ideas.
After he left, one resident asked the question on the minds of most at the meeting: “Do we have any idea who killed Katie Lynn Hill?”
Capt. Thomas McGuire, head of the city police department’s violent crimes branch, said his detectives have been out in the community and have scoured records for possible suspects. They have a list of 17 people they plan to interview who fit the profile of the gunman who shot Hill, he said.