WASHINGTON — Neighbors, business owners and community leaders in D.C. gathered for a peace rally and walk Wednesday evening on H Street, NE. The walk was organized just days after a Washington Commanders’ Rookie Running Back Brian Robinson was shot during a daytime robbery attempt. But folks who live and work along H Street said this high-profile crime was just the latest in a string of violence that has them on edge.
“I don’t feel safe,” said resident Diamond Hampton. “There’s crime anywhere you go but this area is at a high rate. It’s the youth that’s doing it in most cases. Maybe they (city leaders) should open a program for them in the neighborhood because there’s barely anything in the neighborhood for them to do.”
“The city has a lot of programs,” countered Robby Mason. “People just need to advantage them and actually accountability starts at home.”
Mason’s Barber Shop has been thriving on H street for over 60 years and while the neighborhood has changed drastically in the last 6 decades, the family business has maintained its motto through the ages: to keep customers safe and comfortable at all times. That’s why co-owner Robby Mason post a sign on the door that reads: ‘We’re working to build safer community weapons including concealed firearms are not welcome.’
“You can’t change the entire world, but you can change the world around you, said Mason. “Those guns on the street and the marijuana being legalized it’s like a volcano explosion.”