Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6/8F met both in-person at 250 M St. SE and online via Zoom May 20. Present were Commissioners Nic Wilson (6/8F01), Vice Chair Markita Bryant (6/8F02), Chair Brian Strege (6/8F03), Secretary Edward Daniels (6/8F04) and Treasurer Liam Goodwin (6/8F05).
In just a matter of weeks, our neighborhood has witnessed yet another teen crime… terrorization– for lack of a better word– of our neighborhood,” Daniels said, “a planned attack on our community orchestrated by youth from across the region.”
Hundreds of teenagers have converged on Navy Yard twice in a single month, first on April 18 and again May 17, leading to huge police responses.
Daniels said youth entered communal spaces of private residential buildings, fought in public spaces and yelled at police officers positioned at metro stations. Summer, historically a time of higher youth presence in public spaces, has not even begun, Daniels added.
MPD Captain Adam Crist said that calls to police from Navy Yard on May 17 began about 7 p.m. when officers got a call about a large fight that was taking place in the area of First and M Streets SE. Another incident took place just before 10 p.m. when adults at the Bullpen (1201 Half St. SE) met a large group of juveniles and a fight took place during which smartphones were stolen. Three juveniles were arrested by MPD, he said, two for robbery and a third for threats and resisting arrest.
The ANC Secretary said he was tired of hearing that a lack of teen activities and boredom was the excuse. Daniels called for stricter legislation, enforcement of said legislation and accountability for parents of teenagers.
While Commissioner Markita Bryant also expressed anger, she said she was looking for solutions, speaking with the Mayor’s office and MPD Chief Pamela Smith. A parent of a teenager herself, Bryant said she was going to recommend that a curfew be implemented and that it begin much earlier than midnight.
Currently, children are not permitted alone on the streets between midnight and 6 a.m. Bryant proposed 9 or 10 p.m. as an alternative.
Bryant said she wants to work with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to create spaces for teenagers and for property managers to tighten access and security measures to residential buildings.
But she also called upon parents to “do better with their children,” arguing that many knew that their teenagers were part of the group, since they were able to come pick them up at the end of the night.
Asked for solutions, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said that “deeply multifaceted problems need multifaceted solutions” including addressing the root cause of behavior. He said that there are repercussions for criminal behavior, and 85 percent of cases received by OAG are pursued in court.
There was no vote on the matter.
A New Living Classroom Building
The ANC voted to support and application for a text amendment to the zoning in the SEFC-4 Zone to include educational, cultural and institutional uses. The changes would allow Living Classrooms to build a new facility along the Navy Yard boardwalk. The area slated for the building is zoned for park use, while the area just to the west is permitted for development; the applicant asks the zoning commission to extend commercial uses to the intended site as outlined in the master plan for the area.
For 25 years, Living Classrooms has focused on environmental education, workforce development and health and wellness in the District. They manage Kingman Island and serve over 2,000 DC students through environmental education, maritime music and paddling programs with a focus on students in Title 1 schools. The building would allow them to expand offerings.
The proposed design is a pavilion structure, in appearance and scale similar to the lumber shed and the District Winery building with wood, glass and dark metal elements. The three-story 17,000 square foot building is to be set on the boardwalk at Fifth Street SE, south of the Navy Yard power plant. Each story is set on an angle to the one below, creating outdoor spaces on each floor as well as varied views from windows on all sides except those facing north, for reasons of Navy Yard security.
The team said they will discuss the design in greater detail at a future meeting of ANC 8F.
Allen Speaks
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) spoke on the budget, noting that the Continuing Resolution passed in March treating DC like a federal agency not only had the effect of removing $1.1 billion from the current District budget but also of delaying the FY2026 budget process. The Mayor is expected to submit a supplemental budget May 27 outlining proposed cuts to the current budget. Cuts will be steep but feared furloughs of teachers, police or firefighters are not anticipated.
DC Council expects to receive the proposed FY2026 budget on May 27, beginning a 70-day review period. Allen will host a budget town hall to think about how to best balance the budget in a way that does not place pressures on a single demographic of the city. The Council hopes to vote on a final budget by July 31.
Allen was asked if Trayon White were re-elected to represent Ward 8 on DC Council, would he vote to expel him. “I don’t see how the facts of what led to the expulsion have changed and so that probably gives you a pretty good clue,” Allen responded. “But I also think that question isn’t always fair to the voters in Ward 8, because I think we have to give the voters of ward eight more credit to understand who the candidates are, what they represent, what person brings to the table and I want to respect that process.”
ANC 6/8F meets on the Third Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is June 17. Find more information and how to join at anc8F.org
