COMMUNIT-E
April 26, 2005

MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT
ABOUT THE RIVER ROAD BARRIER
From: Chapman Todd <chapmantodd@yahoo.com>
There will be a community meeting on Wednesday April
27, at 7 PM, at Georgetown Day High School, which is
at 4200 Davenport Street NW. While this notice has
been posted over the past several weeks at various
neighborhood listservs and on the calendar in the
Northwest Current, I wanted to make certain that you
were aware of it.

Representatives of the District's Department of
Transportation will be in attendance. The goal of
this meeting is to provide feedback to the city
transportation planners about the barrier, and discuss
other possible alternatives for this intersection.
Chapman Todd
ANC 3E

RESOLUTION OF A CRIME IN THE ‘HOOD
From Shari Pfleeger shari@pfleeger.com

I'm the AU Park neighbor who was attacked by an intruder at 6am
on a Monday morning in June 2003. At that time, Kathy Smith
described the attack briefly in COMMUNIT-E, and many of you
kindly wrote letters to the judge to describe its impact on your
feelings of safety. I promised to give you an update when the
case was resolved. The good news is that I am fine and the case
is indeed finally resolved. The bad news is that the attack gave
me unwelcome insight into some of the more dysfunctional
aspects of DC's justice system. So I'd like briefly to describe
the highlights of what has happened since June 30, 2003.

First the very good news: The police responded quickly to my
911 call and were terrific about handcuffing my attacker and
removing him from the house. The doctors and nurses at Sibley's
emergency room were equally terrific, and a group of nurses
stopped by to laud me for having fought back successfully;
indeed, the police told one of the neighbors that they had sent
me to the hospital for observation but him to the hospital for
treatment! Most wonderful, however, were the neighbors. While
I was at Sibley, three of my neighbors - one of whom I had never
before met - went into my house and cleaned up the mess. They
even washed the bloody sheets and put plywood over the broken
door, so that when I returned to the house later that day, everything
looked almost normal. An extraordinary friend and neighbor went
with me to Sibley and stayed with me the entire day, until my husband
returned from having been out of town. And another neighbor
picked us up from Sibley and drove us home again.

Another neighbor whom I had never met had been jogging nearby
and heard my screams through the open window during the attack.
She had run next-door to ask one of the residents to phone 911; when
I returned from Sibley, I learned that she had also stopped by with a
plant and a sympathetic card for me. Other neighbors phoned for days
afterward, expressing sympathy and support. I am grateful to live in
such a caring, thoughtful community.

Cynthia Schnedar, the U.S. Attorney assigned to my case, was
equally caring and helpful. She kept me informed at every step
of the process about what was likely to occur and what my
options would be. And the victim advocates were also
sympathetic and helpful.

I'd like to put in a plug for Lydia Watts and her staff at WEAVE
(Women Empowered Against Violence). Although WEAVE
focuses on domestic violence, Lydia was terrific at pointing me
to resources to help me deal with the aftermath of the attack.
Ditto for Judy Lichtman at the National Partnership for Women
and Families, who took time away from her considerable workload
to find a lawyer who could explain to me how the judicial process
works for criminal cases.

I hope to write a detailed account of what happened for a
magazine article. In the meantime, though, here are the
highlights of what is resolved and what needs to be fixed:

- My attacker was convicted of attempted first degree
sexual assault and of malicious threats. (He threatened to rape
and kill me.) He claimed that he was drunk, but the judge told
him that this wasn't about alcohol; it was about violence against
women. She gave him 10 years for the assault charge and 3 for
the threats charge. Since he is an illegal immigrant, he should be
deported when he is released from prison. However, the handoff
to the Border Patrol is not always smooth, so I will work with
immigration officials to ensure that he is indeed turned over to
them and deported immediately.

- During the process leading up to sentencing, it was useful
to determine whether the attacker had a record in his native country,
Mexico. The U.S. Attorney told me that it is difficult to get that kind
of information. So a neighbor friendly with the Mexican ambassador
arranged for the U.S. Attorney to contact people in Mexico, the
U.S. State Department, and the Justice Department to get the
relevant information. Clearly, the process has to be improved,
to help those who don't happen to have the right connections.

- I am convinced that the attacker was not drunk but was
probably on drugs, based on my training as a resident assistant
when I was in college. I had assumed that the attacker would
have been tested for drugs and alcohol, but I found out that it
is not standard policy to do that unless someone asks for it.
With hindsight, I should have asked. The lesson here is:
don't assume anything.

- When I first dialed 911, it was busy; I redialed and got
through. Since the incident, I have been working with the
Metropolitan Police and the folks who provide 911 service
to find and fix the problem. Howard Baker, who was hired
shortly after my attack (no relation to the attack, however),
talked with me and decided it was something he had seen before
- a fault in a Nortel software switch. But he was fired before he
could verify that the problem had been solved. My attempts to
contact Michael Latessa, his replacement, have been fruitless,
even with the assistance of Kathy Patterson. So I cannot assure
anyone that 911 calls will always go through.

- In August 2003, I reported to the DC Public Health office
for a blood test, so that the attorneys could match my blood with
the blood on the attacker's shirt. The phlebotomist told me that the
budget was so small that he could give me a band-aid only if I really
needed one. It makes me wonder what other corners are cut,
particularly in providing evidence, because of lack of funds, and
whether cases are jeopardized as a result.

- The detectives in the case were helpful, but they didn't show
up to question me until four days after the attack. And again the DC
budget affected the process: the detectives asked my husband to take
pictures of my injuries and deliver the film to them downtown, because
the budget makes it difficult for them to afford cameras and film.

- There is a Crime Victim's Compensation Fund, from which
you can be reimbursed for up to $25,000 of expenses related to the
attack. But the notion of "related to the attack" is interpreted very
strictly. I have needed substantial and expensive dental work as a
result of the attack, but since I had some dental problems
beforehand (that were exacerbated by but not caused by the attack),
the fund is refusing to pay.

My husband and I have tried to make lemonade out of these lemons.
We have funded several violence prevention programs that are
specifically targeted at Latinos (since my attacker is Mexican),
and we arranged for several dozen women to be trained in self-defense
at my workplace. We also contributed to a scholarship program at
DC Impact, the organization that originally trained me in self-defense
and to which I give credit for saving my life. It still amazes me that
both the police and the emergency medical staff told me that most
women don't fight back. If I have to choose one thing to recommend
to you over everything else, it is to stay strong and fight back.

Earlier this month, I was given an award by the U.S. Attorney's
Office for my "courage, perseverance, and commitment to
seeking justice." But the recipients should have been those
of you in this neighborhood who unselfishly helped me
through a very difficult time.
Shari Lawrence Pfleeger

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: ANDREW STRASFOGEL <squasher@starpower.net>
I will again have a surplus of vegetable plant seedlings potted in 12
oz. cups (heirloom and unusual tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). Let
me know if you're interested. Please contribute $1.00 per plant to
the DC Area Capitol Food Bank or any food kitchen or similar charity
benefitting the homeless. Email me and I will let you know when
they are available (AU Park). squasher@starpower.net

**** From: starr kopper <starrkop@starpower.net>
FURNISHED APARTMENT
I have a lovely quiet, sunny one bedroom apartment furnished, art filled and
comfortable. available from June until November. please email me for
particulars. Second floor on 39th street off Macomb. my email is
starrkop@starpower.net and phone is 202-244-5559
Thanks, Starr Kopper

**** From: Helix2K@aol.com
I recently used Michael Casson of Computeroo to help me clean
up a computer mess. He was calm, kind and competent. Thanks
to COMMUNIT-E I now have a wonderful computer repair-person.
Michael can be reached at 202-486-3145 or go to his website;
www.computeroo.net. Lisa Rosenstein, happy customer.


PLEASE REPORT CLOGGED STORM DRAINS
From: Robert Hyman <roberthyman@erols.com>
Spring rains are here, please report any clogged or non
functioning storm drains to WASA at 612-3400 and help
keep the street clean of debris that can clog them.


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