Chavis Pays Tribute to Thurgood Marshall, Pg. 27
I N S I D E
I N S I D E
Mayor Gray Still Battling Injustice, Pg. 10
Charlie Wilson Shares the 4-1-1, Pg. 30
UDC’s Head Honcho Gets Raise, Pg. 9
Film ‘Cooley High’ Marks 40 Years, Pg. 29
Vol. 50, No. 39 July 9 - July 15, 2015
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier /Photo by Robert R. Roberts
District Homicides Up, Other Crime Down Recent Spate of Murders Also Not Tied to Attrition By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Like their Charm City neighbors to the north, law enforcement in the nation’s capital are battling an alarming increase in homicides that some argue is, in part, the result of losing about 500 police officers over the past year and a half. However, the Metropolitan Police Department – MPD – does appear to have a much better handle on crime overall than in Baltimore where that city is on the verge of becoming the nation’s murder capital. Homicides in the District are up 17 percent – not the 20 percent reported by some media outlets, said MPD spokeswoman
Gwendolyn Crump. Also, assaults and dangerous weapons have decreased and violent crime overall has fallen, Crump said. While a report tied the increase in homicides with the departure of nearly 500 officers over the past 18 months, the MPD argues that’s probably not the case. “We don’t believe that our attrition is a factor,” Crump said. “Robberies and arguments are the most prevalent motives.” D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier also said her detectives didn’t see any discernible patterns in the homicides that have occurred in each quadrant of the District. “The bottom line is that it is
METROREPORT Page 8
Serena Outscores Opponents Serena Williams, 33, the women’s No. 1 seed at Wimbledon 2015, continues to show why she’s often referred to as the “greatest women’s player of all time,” with an impressive come-from-behind, quarterfinal victory over Victoria Azarenka on Tuesday, July 7. Williams stands poised to complete a calendar Grand Slam of
the four major tennis championships, should she take the crown at Wimbledon and then later this year at the U.S. Open. Just one day before, on Monday, in two quick sets, she easily defeated her opponent and older sister, Venus Williams, making just 13 unforced errors and physically beating her sibling into submission. She got past
Azarenka in a three-set thriller, continuing to play some of her best tennis ever, so says her sister, and now prepares for Maria Sharapova on Thursday, July 9 in the semifinals. Williams, who has 20 major trophies in her collection said of the pending battle, “I look forward to it.” / Photo courtesy Reuters, Toby Melville WI
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