And the localblogging begins...

Shooting tonight in Shaw, so the murder lamp is out, and of course I can't sleep. Whenever someone unloads some rounds, MPD likes to bringin its big generator-powered floodlamp to light up the block; problemsare that (a) it's a little late to do much good as a deterrant, and (b)it makes it impossible to sleep if you have either ears or eyes(honestly, I sleep fine after gunshots, it's just the damn light thatkeeps me awake).

If you want some background and sparse details, check out rocklobster's continually updated shaw crime watch. It also seems to be the place to go for loonie theories on the causesof gang violence. Deterioration of the family my ass. Plus, were thateven the root cause, I'm not sure parenting classes could compensatefor having to work two or three jobs to make rent. Looking for a realculprit? Out-of-control gentirfication housing prices are putting theeconomic pressures on parents that keep them disengaged from theirchidren's lives. If these kids' lack of parenting is to blame, it'sbecause gentrifiers (aka newcomers, aka Whitey McCracker) are willingto pay the insane prices for housing that keep those parents fromhaving time to raise their children.

technorati tags:shaw, violence, shooting, dc