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Women arriving in Mount Pleasant after dark complain that their walk home from the Metro station, or from the bus stop, along Mount Pleasant Street, is frightening. The street is desolate and nearly deserted after dark, and the few people visible may be men whom you would not care to meet alone. The fear of being alone and vulnerable on a city street is legitimate. There is safety and security in numbers of people, just as there is real danger, of being robbed or assaulted, in being alone.
There are two good reasons for wanting entertainment in Mount Pleasant restaurants. First is simply that a great many residents want entertainment nearby, so they don't have to trek all the way to Adams Morgan, or U Street, to find a bit of youthful fun. Second is that putting more people on Mount Pleasant Street, residents enjoying the offerings of the street, will vastly improve the atmosphere of the street after dark, and will substantially improve safety and security along the street. This envelope of security will extend into the side streets, too, simply because a call for help will not go unheard, not if the street nearby is busy with people, instead of being empty and deserted.
The notion that these increased numbers of residents on the street will reduce nearby property values is simply wrong. Which would be more valuable: a house next to a business district which, after dark, is desolate and deserted? Or a house next to a business district that is alive and active? Which would be more valuable: a house next to a business district that closes down after dark? Or one next to a thriving business district which offers musical entertainment, well-patronized restaurants, and other city services into the night? Which would be more valuable: a house next to streets which are barren and dangerous after dark? Or one next to streets that are, due to reasonable numbers of residents on the sidewalks, safe, alive, and unthreatening?
Hear Mount Pleasant's proposals for responsible and neighborhood-enhancing cultural and entertainment opportunities in Mount Pleasant will enhance safety and security of residents on and around Mount Pleasant Street after dark, may transform a dark and foreboding street into a warm, lively, and friendly street, and will surely enhance the value of any nearby properties. The owners of those nearby properties should welcome these developments.
| Jack McKay has resided in Mt. Pleasant for 33 years and is a three term ANC Commissioner. |
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