INSIDE STILL SHOPPING? Gift ideas from local stores P. 11 MERRY & GREEN: Cards that save trees P. 7
VOL. 17 NO. 11
Should they stay or should they go?
HYATTSVILLE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
DECEMBER 2020
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE HL&T!
A FULL PLATE
Police could be removed from public schools By Brandon Fastman Issa Moquete never had any direct interaction with the school resource officer (SRO) at Northwestern High School, though she does recall the time he chased her and her peers from campus to the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station. It was 2003, and the students had staged a walkout to join an Iraq War protest in D.C. SEE SROS ON 9
Volunteers distribute boxes of food at Magruder Park on Dec. 5. To learn more about how you can contribute or receive food, read about the food drive at DeMatha on p. 14, the Magruder Park distribution on p. 13, and other food distribution programs on p. 12. JULIA NIKHINSON
Musicians hit hard by pandemic By Christina Armeni “It’s a really scary time for artists of any medium,” said Hyattsville opera singer Teresa Ferrara. She was just days away from starting rehearsals for one of her dream roles when the governor initiated a shutdown. She was set to play Gilda in “Rigoletto” with the D.C. opera company, IN Series. “Everything came to a halt,” Ferrara said. Before the pandemic, Ferrara spent her days at an office job SEE MUSICIANS ON 4
Crime dove as cases rose Police urge caution during holidays
By Heather Wright Hyattsville saw an overall decrease in crime through three-quarters of 2020; a decline that began in March, coinciding with Gov. Larry Hogan’s shutdown orders. The police department is preparing for the usual uptick
in crime around the holiday season, though — pandemic or no pandemic.
DECLINE OF THEFTS, OVERALL CRIME DURING PANDEMIC According to the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD) third-quarter re-
port, most major categories of crime are down, compared to 2019 numbers. Hyattsville is among many U.S. cities that have seen large drops in reported crime this year, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania tracking the changes. Thefts, which are by far the most frequently reported crimes, decreased by about 55%, from 283 incidents in 2019 to 126 in 2020. While thefts spiked in 2019, the 2020 levels were considerably lower than in 2016-2018, as well. “I’ve been doing [police work] since 1977, and this is something like I’ve never SEE CRIME ON 8
CENTER SECTION: The December 8, 2020 Issue of The Hyattsvile Reporter — in Español too! HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383
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