DC mother defends her neighborhood's reputation as gunmen target her block

Our story about the gun violence in the Northwest DC neighborhood of LeDroit Park has sparked a debate among social media users.

Ursula Ware was among the thousands of commenters. She has since removed her post, but she was asking why her neighbors were not part of the reporting or the conversation.

"I didn't see any of my neighbors on that interview, and I wanted to come out as a representative," she told WUSA9 on Friday, a day after the story was published.

DC data indicates that on and near the intersection of 2nd and W Street Northwest there have been at least nine gun violence incidents this year.

The latest shooting was on Oct. 14 just after 4:30 p.m. In surveillance video obtained by WUSA9, you can hear at least 10 rounds, and a different video shows two boys with backpacks walking home from school as police officers were responding to the shooting scene.

Several videos from this year show multiple people shooting down the 200 block of W Street Northwest.

Ware's building is located on that block. She moved to LeDroit Park 14 years ago as a single woman, and now has two boys ages 5 and 6. "They hear the sounds outside. Sometimes we are out and about, and we hear them. They think it's fireworks and I do tell them that those are gunshots," she explained. Ware says she does not believe in lying to her boys about what they sometimes see outside their building.

For several days WUSA9 tried to speak to people who live on Ware's block. Most who stopped to chat briefly were seniors who said the gun violence was not a new issue. No one wanted to give a name or to speak on camera. Some said they were scared of retaliation or being perceived as rats. "Fear," Ware explained, "people don't really know the right verbiage to use, and they feel like if they say the wrong things, they don't want to become a target."

Ware says her neighbors share the same concerns as her neighbors on 2nd Street Northwest. She has been outside when young men push children into bushes to protect them when they hear shots ring out. She says her block has the same concern of being innocent bystanders in the crossfire.

Public safety officials say the shootouts that are playing out in the area are an ongoing dispute between people from two different neighborhoods.

Ware says people are quick to jump to conclusions and point the finger at her neighbors, particularly because of the public housing on her block. "This is a bad community, it's hood, it's bad, and it's really not that. This is a thriving community. We are literally right around the corner from Howard University. We have a brilliant elementary school here," she explained.

Wares says her neighbors also want improvements. "I feel like if we had neighbors out here advocating about gun violence, and letting these folks know that they're not welcome in the street, and it's not a place for this stuff to happen," she said.

Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Lindsay Appiah says the District has sent in violence interrupters to de-escalate tensions, prevent retaliation, and maintain presence during after-school hours. "The reckless and illegal behavior captured in this video is unacceptable, and we recognize the fear it has caused," Appiah said.

Some neighbors like Claire Brunner say they have received these types of comments from DC officials before, but she struggles to see any real changes because the shootings continue.

"I struggle to find any tangible resources that have been allocated to this problem. We have emailed, we've had community walks and basically been told that it is what it is until a bullet flies, which is the most frustrating answer I can think of," she told WUSA9.

DC Police say that over the past year they have increased their visibility, expanded their patrol coverage, and installed a 24-hour camera that connects to the department's crime center. Police say they have made 33 arrests in the area this year, including a 15-year-old who had an illegal gun.

Most neighbors say this is not an issue that can be solved solely with police.

Ware calls this a community issue, which is why she is stepping in.

"I actually want to get the neighborhood more engaged with the ANC Commissioner and let them be partners and be that liaison between the community and the ANC," she said.