Norton Requests Immediate Action to Improve Public Safety on the National Mall (7/24/08)
Norton Requests Immediate Action to Improve Public Safety on the National Mall
July 24, 2008
Washington, DC - The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar identifying possible risks to public safety, and recommending low-cost, common-sense measures to alleviate them. Norton revisited the Mall this week to verify reports of no lights at the Sculpture Garden, and to survey progress made since her visit in May as the tourist season here began. The Congresswoman's return visit was prompted by reports that the Sculpture Garden, a popular tourist attraction that is part of the Hirshhorn Museum, was becoming a magnet for loitering. When she arrived this week to verify the reports, she was troubled to find the Sculpture Garden was dark, and that many lights on the Mall itself, in the area between Third and Seventh Streets, were still out, and many others were so dirty they shed too little light.
Norton's letter to the Park Service makes three main requests: number the poles to enable Park Police to report daily which lights are out or dimmed; light the Sculpture Garden not only for safety reasons but also because when lighted it is a magnificent tourist attraction that will increase tourism; and put in place a system for keeping the light covers clean to permit full lighting. Lights provide un-interrupted public safety unlike police, Norton noted. "Any un-lit place is a possible refuge for crime," she said, noting that the Sculpture Garden is not only dark but also recessed below the ground. "The Mall has been crime-free, and we want to keep it that way. The District's tourism revenue and our local economy depend on visits to the Mall."
Norton has been working to improve safety at the Mall since attacks in 2006 showed security deficiencies. Norton's bill, H.R. 3880, "The Mall Revitalization and Redesignation Act of 2007" would provide for improved amenities such as clean, flushable, convenient toilets, and tables and chairs for lunch, but she said proper lighting on the Mall should not require an act of Congress.
A copy of the Congresswoman's letter is below:
Mary Bomar
Director, National Park Service
1849 C. Street NW
Washington DC, 20240
Dear Director Bomar:
On Monday night, July 21, 2008, I returned to the Mall for my second visit of the summer tourist season after being informed of problems generated by darkness at the Sculpture Garden, at 7th and Jefferson Streets. Hundreds of tourists were on the Mall watching the outdoor movie that I am pleased that you provide. However, once again, I saw the same lights out and the same dirty lanterns that create dark, unsafe spaces on our Mall. The movie goers, of course, disperse in every direction, assuming the entire Mall is safe to walk in the evening, and I believe that it is. However, only well-lit pathways on the Mall can assure its safety. As you recall, the muggings on the Mall two years ago occurred in un-lit or dimly lit sections on the Mall.
I am grateful to the Park Police that the Mall has always been a crime free refuge for our residents and visitors, but maintaining that public safety depends equally on good lighting. Police officers must patrol extensive areas while lights remain stationary and on all night. Moreover, the fate of a good part of the District's tourist economy depends on keeping the Mall safe. My latest Mall trip was not one of my regular visits. I went there because while visiting the Hirshhorn I found the rear of the Hirshhorn and the Sculpture Garden itself chained off. The absence of any lighting in the Sculpture Garden in particular, it was reported, has attracted the homeless and malingerers to congregate there on occasion. Beyond the risks, a dark Sculpture Garden contradicts its purpose as an outdoor attraction. It would be a magnificent sight at night just as the monuments and memorials are highlighted with lighting and spotlights. Bus loads of visitors are treated to tours of the Mall every evening.
On each of my visits to the Mall at night this season, we were dismayed to see lights out and lights so dirty they barely cast one-quarter of the glow of the cleaner lights. These are the lights out we documented:
- - Between 3rd and 4th on Jefferson - five lights out
- - West of 4th on Jefferson in front of the Air/Space Museum - six lights out
- - South side of the Lincoln Memorial - two lights out
- - South side of Madison between 6th and 7th - One light out
- - Right side of Madison between 6th and 7th - No lights at all
- - Between 13th and 14th on Jefferson - two lights out
- - Entrance to Sculpture Garden across from the Castle - One light out
During my first walk on the Mall this season, I asked an officer whether Park Police were asked to report lights out or dim lights. The officer made a common sense suggestion that such daily reporting would be possible if the light poles were numbered. Therefore, I am making three requests: that you use a simple reporting system of numbers on the lamp posts and request the Park Police who patrol every evening to report lights out and dim lights to the National Park Service; that you respond within a short time frame to correct dim or burned out lights; and that you regularly clean dim lights in a quick and low-cost way, such as hosing. I believe that this basic maintenance can be done with current personnel levels and does not require waiting for Congress to appropriate the reported $100 million for maintenance and improvements.
Please respond with how you intend to resolve these issues.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton