WASHINGTON — What can neighbors do when a shootout injures three and kills two men all at one intersection that has been a problem for a long time?
People in the Brentwood neighborhood say they know exactly what could be done, but they say they just can't get anyone to listen to them.
Tuesday night police say someone sprayed the intersection of 14th Street and Saratoga Avenue NE with dozens of gunshots, hitting five people and killing two of them.
Less than 24 hours later, neighbors met at the same intersection hoping to reclaim it.
"I feel like this community is being failed," said one woman holding a young child.
"What are we supposed to do?" asked another. "My son out here running for his life last night."
Convened by the local ANCs, people here say they've had emergency meetings like this before, but don't have much to show for them.
"It's not that we're just complaining. We have solutions but no one is listening to us," said Keisha Howard who has lived in the neighborhood for more than twenty years.
And while some here say they are grateful for an increased police presence, neighbors say they also need investments - speed bumps and street lights to start.
"How come our streets can't be lit like Georgetown?" asked Howard. "We're all human beings and everyone deserves the right to come out here and feel safe."
And, investments in the futures of the children they're trying to protect.
"I'm a dog lover but I just don't understand how there can be 15 dog parks in this area and no parks for kids," said Howard.
Others said the neighborhood needs after school safe places and programs "for the kids to have a place to go."
"We need more than a prayer," said Jaqueline Manning, one of the ANCs for Ward 5. "Faith without work? We need work in this community from everybody."