WASHINGTON — A D.C. activist will be hosting a series of public safety events in an effort to find solutions to crime along the H Street Northeast Corridor.
The closure of businesses in the District in part due to crime has garnered attention, but Paul Spires says he is taking a different approach and asking business owners to "keep the lights on."
"We are going to do the opposite. Make it so bright you can't do something wrong. You know, change the mindset – change the energy," Spires told WUSA9 inside Ocean Lounge, where he will hold his first event Friday night.
Spires is seeking input from the H Street community in an effort to create what he calls a "holistic solution to crime."
"We live on these streets every day. We are the ones going outside – going to work," he said.
Spires says he is asking residents, business owners, and activists to fill out a survey and offer solutions to the crime impacting the busy Northeast corridor. He says the idea to hear directly from the community impacted by the violence came to him after hearing the third and latest crime legislation introduced by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
During a Monday news conference, Bowser double downed on her ACT Now bill after District residents pushed back on modifying policing practices: "It closes gaps in very necessary ways and it lets the police do their job," she told reporters.
Bowser cited ski masks, retail theft, and open-air drug dealing as the issues that residents of the District care about.
Spires disagrees with the mayor. He offered his testimony during a council hearing on the bill. "What the real focus is: carjacking, homicides – robbery," he said.
Spires says he recognized the mayor's efforts to reduce crime, but believes her latest proposal is misguided. That is why he is turning to the community for input.
"I want them to come with ideas, I want them to come perspectives," he said.
The "Turn the Lights On" event will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Friday at the Ocean Lounge located at 1220 H St. NE. For more information you can call (202) 766-4899.