I’m walking alone at night straddling the border of Southeast DC and I am paralyzed with fear. Two eyes glow from the tree. It’s a raccoon.
When you became a member of the district you become accustomed to the perils of DC: the overly ambitious type A DC twenty-something, the aggressive drivers, the Georgetown girls cranky from their lack of food and the weight of their shopping bags, the police who seem to have forgotten about the murder rate in DC and prefer to concentrate on jaywalking, the dreaded left side riders on the metro escalator and of course
SE DC. But no one mentioned the raccoon.
And here I was, listening to Ipod, eyes pressed to the ground scanning for misplaced bricks in the sidewalk, just praying that my nocturnal stalker would go on his way. He won’t’ budge. He is a DC raccoon filibustering my evening jaunt. He has learned a few things from his neighbors. Ten blocks into the distance I could see the glistening white marble of the Capitol. I am walking down East Capitol St. straddling the border between Northeast and Southeast DC. All around me, beautiful 4 story Victorian homes line the street and stately oaks frame the sidewalks. The light from Grubb’s pharmacy, an old-timey apothecary shop, provides a spotlight for our showdown. I can smell the thick grease form Jimmy T’s two blocks down. If only I could proceed.
East Capitol St. isn’t your typical Southeast neighborhood. It should be called millionaire’s row. It’s home to senators, congressmen, doctor’s, lawyers and the picture perfect DC family. World’s away from Anacostia, this Southeast nonetheless suffers from it’s label. Try getting into a cab and asking to go to 6th and East Capitol SE, will always elicit a grown. Nestled behind the towering dome of our nation’s government, it’s a neighborhood forgotten- forgotten by tourists milling around the mall, forgotten by the night-time crowd and even forgotten by its own residents. A grand boulevard running from RFK stadium through the quaint Lincoln Park and dead ending at the Capitol, it is an urban oasis. When I walk here at night I feel a sense of community as people lounge in the park, stroll arm-in arm down the street and rake leaves in their 5x5 front yards. They are unaware that they live in the dreaded Southeast.
I am still staring at the raccoon, it’s becoming a battle of wills. From behind me I hear the gentle din of stroller wheels grinding on the pavement. The raccoon scampers up the tree and I am released. A sense of relief washes over me. It feels good to be here in Southeast DC, where my greatest fear is a raccoon.
