Riggs Park Follow Up Public Safety Meeting
Hosted by DC’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice
January 10, 2023
6:30 pm
Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center (501 Riggs Road NE)

Government agencies in attendance:

Metropolitan Police Department
DC Department of General Services
DC Department of Parks & Recreation
DC Department of Behavioral Health

For questions or concerns, please contact Jasmin Benab at jasmin.benab@dc.gov.

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This meeting is a follow-up to a less than useful meeting that was held on January 3, 2023, in response to the shooting that happend at the Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center on December 23, 2022. MPD 4th District Commander Carlos Heraud attended the meeting but a minute before having to leave because of a shooting at Georgia Avenue & Rittenhouse Street NW. Officials from other agencies present were not prepared to address questions raised by residents.

For the meeting on January 10, residents are encouraged to submit questions, concerns, and ideas in advance to jasmin.benab@dc.gov.

My understanding is that representatives will be prepared with responses to questions raised at the meeting on January 3. It sounds like this will be a real opportunity for residents to say what they would like to see from District government officials and what kind of resources residents believe are necessary to make sure something like this does not happen again.

The frontline staff at the rec deserve all the thanks and support for keeping the children who were in the gym at the time safe. They also deserve a workplace free from violence, a building with working security cameras, and an executive branch that timely responds to issues raised by the staff.

Also, nothing can be that deep to make someone decide to shoot up a rec center. So often people say that there are not enough programs or things for young people to do in this city and then people decide to shoot up a place that actually offers programs and things for young people to do. This is ridiculous.