A decision on the Riyad Market

While I appreciate the effort any person puts in to start and run a business legitimately, the owner of the Riyad Market, Osman Mohammed, never seemed to want to be a part of the Petworth community or support the neighborhood. The closed up windows, the odd store hours, the off-putting signage and lastly, getting caught selling synthetic drugs. It’s that last one that is the downfall of the Riyad.

The Riyad has been evicted and will be closing its doors in November.

I spoke with Michael Aniton, the DC Assistant Attorney General in charge of the case against the Riyad. “The basis of the eviction case against the Riyad Market was the sale of synthetic drugs. We had detectives prepared to testify to the sale of synthetic drugs and community members prepared to testify to the negative impact that the market has had on the surrounding community.” 

Mr. Mohammed, the owner of the Riyad, has signed a written agreement with the landlord to vacate the property by November 13, 2015. They agreed to resolve the issue in Landlord and Tenant court on Thursday, August 20th. If Mr. Mohammed fails to vacate the property or hand over the keys, or to pay the rent for September and October, the owner can have the U.S. Marshalls carry out the eviction.
 
“The role of the community is extremely important,” Mr. Aniton said. "The community should continue to report any suspicious or illegal activity that they observe at Riyad Market. I would also encourage the community to try to work with the owner of the property to make sure that the next tenant is a good, upstanding business that will bring positive energy to the community.”

I hope the Dudley family (the owners of the building) do bring in a business that will contribute to Petworth. 

Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social this Wednesday

The next Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social is this Wednesday, August 26th from 6:30pm to dark at the grassy triangle at Kansas Ave and Quincy Street. There's always some tasty lemonade and people have been bringing cookies, veggies and other treats -- feel free to bring something for neighbors (or local bloggers) to enjoy!

And make sure you tell your neighbors who may not be online -- getting out to meet people and kids in a causal setting makes for a great community event.

The SWP Lemonade Social is the fourth Wednesday of every month. 

Petworth Park needs work (updated)

The wilderness that is the Petworth Spray Park

I got a bee in my bonnet about the condition of Petworth Park. Talk about long grass! Petworth Park is in dire need of a hair cut.

I've been emailing the Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) about the spray park signage since end of May, trying to get the sign replaced. The sign was ripped down and tossed on the ground at the back of the spray park (slowly being swallowed up by the untended grass). After getting tagged with a few choice vulgarities and three months of emails from me to the Aquatics Director, DPR finally removed the sign yesterday and has committed to getting a new sign with updated information (like the correct hours of operation) as soon as possible. According to John Stokes, the deputy director of DPR, it should be installed by mid next week.

My other concern is that grass! It's overgrown throughout the park, and insanely high in the spray park, which presents more concerns. The tall, wet grass inside the spray is a haven for mosquitos. Toddlers and blood-sucking, welt-forming insects are not a good match.

I'm pleased to say that according to emails this morning from Donny Gonzalez from the Department of General Services (DGS), the mowing of the grass is going to be expedited and should be done by tomorrow.

I hope so -- public parks should be a haven for happy kids, not mosquitos.

Updated 9pm 7/28/15: The park has been mowed and all the grass is pretty short.