Traffic checkpoints are an essential tactic in the disruption of terrorism in Iraq, since car bombers and kidnappers have to use the roads to conduct their criminal business. Are they needed in our own cities? In one part of the United States is starting to look and function more like the cities of Iraq.

The Washington D.C. Police Department has set up a “Neighborhood Safety Zone” around the Trinidad area in D.C. In order to gain access into the “safe zone”, people must pass through a checkpoint . They must provide valid I.D., and a legitamite reason to be in the zone. Valid reasons include attending an event and picking a child up from daycare. The checkpoint was instituted because a large number of the killings in Trinidad are the result of drive-by shootings by “rival crews” that enter the area from the outside. To further demonstrate the need for the zone, on May 30th, seven people were gunned down in D.C. during a nine-hour period. (Article)

I ask these questions to all Americans. Are the cities in America becoming as unsafe as those in Iraq? Why are we not investing our time, energy and money into making our own cities safe? We keep sending billions of dollars into Iraq, why aren’t we sending billions to our cities? Please feel free to comment as you see fit.

Tags: Domestic Policy, US, Washington // Add Comment »

Trackback URL for this post: http://www.thedetente.com/2008/06/iraq-or-dc-can-you-tell-the-difference/trackback/