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Last Updated on
05/05/2008
Nuisance Property Abatement Success Story

504 Longfellow Street, NW
(PSA 403) (Ward 4)

504 Longfellow Street, NW - (PSA 403) (Ward 4)This attractive single family home posed a significant drug nuisance problem to its neighbors. The owner’s nephew, a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair, sold drugs from the front porch to buyers passing by in the alley. Neighbors surrounding the house complained about the activity to the Community Prosecutor. The Metropolitan Police Department along with ATF executed a search warrant at the address and arrested the nephew. The Community Prosecutor contacted the owner of the home, who lived in Virginia, and his sister, who lived at the Longfellow Street home and asked for a meeting. At the meeting, the owner acknowledged the drug activity and promised that once the nephew was released from jail, he would live at a different location. At the request of the Community Prosecutor, the owner attended a community meeting and told his neighbors that he would ensure that the drug nuisance was abated. The community wrote to the judge responsible for sentencing the nephew and informed the judge of the problems experienced by the neighborhood as a result of his conduct. The sentencing judge then delivered a stiff sentence to the defendant, citing the community’s concerns. As a result of the abated nuisance, the community is grateful to the police department and the United States Attorney’s Office. “It is much more peaceful on the street, since the drug activity stopped,” states a Longfellow Street resident.

 
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