Lately, there has been an increase in the number of home break-ins occurring during the day.  Last week, two homes on the 900 block of P Street, NW were burglarized while the occupants were away at work.  In one case, the assailant smashed in a basement window that did not have bars.  However, in the other case, the burglar used a saw to cut through bars on the front door.  Please take appropriate precautions and be on the look out for anything suspicious.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of muggings in our neighborhood (between Logan Circle and the convention center).  At the September ANC meeting, Lt. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department pointed out that several recent attacks were committed by a group of young men and that they seemed to be targeting men they perceived to be gay.

Here is a link to a story about one such incident that happened early Saturday morning as a patron was leaving BeBar:  http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=596&sid=1254987

Join the Shaw Green Team and volunteers from Shaw Main Streets and Treebox Vodka as we plant flowering perennial plants in treeboxes on the 1500 and 1900 blocks of 9th Street, NW, on Saturday, September 15, 2007, starting at 9:00 AM, rain or shine.  Bring your gloves and tools.  Soil, mulch, fertilizer, and plants will be provided.  If you live on the 1500 block of 9th Street, NW, you can also help by allowing volunteers to use your front yard hose to water the plants as the planting in each treebox is completed.

This planting is part of Shaw Main Streets' 9th Street Treebox Project, supported by a grant from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development's Neighborhood Investment Fund, with additional support from Douglas Development and Roadside Development.  The planting will take place in those boxes where steel tree guards have been installed as part of the project, and where trees are in place.  Boxes awaiting trees will be planted after trees go into the ground during the fall planting season.

This event will take place rain or shine.  If you have questions, call Shaw Main Streets at 202-265-SHAW or email shawmainstreets@aol.com.

Join us for a 45-minute, curator-led tour of the Washington Convention Center art collection as part of Arts on Foot 2007 on Saturday, September 15th (rain or shine).  Art tours at the Convention Center are scheduled at 12:00 noon, 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm.  There is no charge to participate in the tours, but attendees must register in advance.

WASHINGTON CONVENTION CENTER ART COLLECTION

The diverse $4 million art collection at the Washington Convention Center is the largest in any convention center and the largest public art collection in Washington, DC outside of a museum.  With 137 works art of by 93 artists, the collection of site-specific sculpture, painting, and photography brings a sense of human scale to the Convention Center.  Washington area artists created more than half of the collection.

DON'T MISS THE SHAW WALL

The Shaw Wall celebrates and honors the historic Shaw community, one of Washington's oldest African American neighborhoods and home to the Washington Convention Center.  On the 72-foot long wall hang four monumental works by the team of Frank Smith and Arnetta Lee, Rik Freeman, Billy Colbert, and Deirdre Saunder.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION

Register for your tour of the Washington Convention Center art collection by calling the 24-hour Washington Convention Center Authority (WCCA) Community Hotline at (202) 249-3200 and stating your name, telephone number and your preferred tour time (12:00 noon, 1:30 pm or 3:00 pm).  A WCCA staffperson will return your call to confirm your tour time.

Reserve your space now!  Each art tour is limited to a maximum of twenty-five participants.  Walk ups may participate in the art tours only if space is available.

Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Use Mount Vernon Place entrance

ABOUT ARTS ON FOOT, Saturday, September 15, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Arts on Foot, produced by the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association, is an annual celebration of the arts featuring FREE events the whole family can enjoy.  The main festival site will be on F Street between 7th and 9th and will feature more than 70 artists selling works of fine art and crafts, performing artists providing live entertainment and more than 25 Downtown restaurants offering delicious samples at reduced prices.  Rain or shine.  For more information about Arts on Foot including the schedule of events, visit www.artsonfoot.org.