Norton Walking the National Mall Tonight to Ensure Safety for Residents and Tourists (08/31/2010)
Norton Walking the National Mall Tonight to Ensure Safety for Residents and Tourists
August 31, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will walk the National Mall tonight at 7:00 p.m., beginning at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial located at 1st Street NW, to inspect Mall lights, observe staffing levels, and review general safety issues. Norton began making trips to the Mall in 2006 following assaults on residents and tourists. At the time, dimly lit sections between the Washington and Lincoln Memorials were believed to have made the assaults easier to commit.
"The National Mall is a premier international destination where millions of residents and tourists enjoy entertainment and the open green space," said Norton. "The Mall must continue to be a crime-free zone. Ensuring that our parks have adequate lighting, and that Park Police are out and visible to the public are simple safety precautions that we cannot take for granted."
Last week, the Congresswoman met with D.C. Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), U.S. Park Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and others in Sherman Circle near the site of a recent homicide on Kansas Avenue NW. Although the murder did not occur in the Sherman Circle Park, Norton learned that the park is inadequately lit and is working with the National Park Service (NPS) and D.C. officials on lights for the park. The Congresswoman also tours city parks to examine the safety measures and the overall condition because most D.C. parks are owned by NPS.