{"id":23081,"date":"2013-01-31T18:29:17","date_gmt":"2013-01-31T23:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/watchwomanonthewall\/?p=23081"},"modified":"2013-01-31T18:33:09","modified_gmt":"2013-01-31T23:33:09","slug":"ski-masks-a-fashion-accessory-to-crime-in-d-c-may-soon-be-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2013\/01\/ski-masks-a-fashion-accessory-to-crime-in-d-c-may-soon-be-illegal.html","title":{"rendered":"Ski masks, a fashion accessory to crime in D.C., may soon be illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calvin’s Commentary: D.C. law already bans individuals \u2014 ages 16 and up \u2014 from wearing masks in public under certain circumstances, such as while committing a crime!\u00a0 ROFLOL!!!!\u00a0 I kid you not! Read it below!\u00a0 What happens if they ban ski masks, will robbers of 7-11’s start wearing burkas?\u00a0 Banning ski masks is as effective as banning guns to control crimes of any nature!\u00a0 Only an idiot can’t see that!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u25ac Donna Calvin<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u25ac Thursday, January 31, 2013<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Buying a ski mask isn\u2019t illegal, but could restricting their sale help prevent crime?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>The notion is stirring debate among some Northwest Washington residents after reports of robberies committed by men wearing ski masks. The frequency of the robberies also has caught attention of police, who say one neighborhood crew is frequently purchasing masks at a local sports store for the express purpose of committing robberies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey clearly are a problem. Otherwise, we wouldn\u2019t see it being mentioned in all the reports,\u201d said Faith Wheeler<\/a>, an Advisory Neighborhood Commission<\/a> member from the Takoma neighborhood in Northwest.<\/p>\n

And while police from the Metropolitan Police Department<\/a>\u2019s 4th District said they think the Rittenhouse Crew \u2014 many of whose members are known to police officers \u2014 is responsible for some of the robberies, the ski masks are a huge stumbling block if victims are to be unable to identify their assailants.<\/p>\n

On a Metropolitan Police Department<\/a>-run listserv, Ms. Wheeler<\/a> was one of several people who broached the subject of trying to discourage the sale of ski masks in the neighborhood, or asked legislators whether there are other ways to ban their sale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how you can get at it legislatively,\u201d said Ms. Wheeler<\/a>, acknowledging she meant to open the door to discussion rather than suggest her own cure-alls. \u201cI don\u2019t know that persuasion itself would work unless you have a personal relationship with a store owner.\u201d<\/p>\n

D.C. law already ban individuals \u2014 ages 16 and up \u2014 from wearing masks in public under certain circumstances, such as while committing a crime or with \u201cthe intent to intimidate, threaten, abuse or harass any other person.\u201d<\/strong> But prosecution under the law appears infrequent. The Office of the Attorney General, which handles juvenile and misdemeanor cases in the District, was aware of only two cases in which juveniles faced charges under the law, spokesman Ted Gest<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is typically not a stand-alone offense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The U.S. Attorney’s Office<\/a> was unable to provide data immediately on the number of times charges have been brought under the law.<\/p>\n

At a Ward 4 Advisory Neighborhood Commission<\/a> meeting Monday night at the 4th District police<\/a> headquarters, officers cautioned residents that a sports store along Georgia Avenue seems to be the new place criminals are going to buy one-time-use ski masks for the sole purpose of robberies.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys are going in there, buying their mask, doing a robbery and then walking away,\u201d Officer Jonathan White<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Though hardly unique to the 4th District, a cursory review of robbery-suspect descriptions provided by police shows a number of robberies or other crimes in which a ski mask is part of a vague suspect description. During a robbery on Jan. 23 at 13th and Varnum streets Northeast, police said two black men wearing ski masks got out of a gold Honda Accord and held a woman at gunpoint to steal her purse.<\/p>\n

On the afternoon of Jan. 10, two black men, one armed with a silver handgun and wearing a ski mask, held up a man at gunpoint and stole his money and cellphone in the 5900 block of 5th Street Northwest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a traumatic experience,\u201d said Ms. Wheeler<\/a>, who was nearly carjacked by a man wearing a ski mask last year.<\/p>\n

But where some were supportive of cracking down on ski masks, others saw scapegoats and irrational fears.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cAnd the next thing you know, the irrational thinkers will be talking about getting rid of scarves. A long scarf can make a good mask. Hmm. What\u2019s next after that?\u201d<\/strong> one woman wrote on the police listserv in response to the ski mask discussion.<\/p>\n

Employees of City Gear, a Georgia Avenue sports apparel store, highlighted the necessity for a ski mask in cold weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started wearing them for football,\u201d said Michael Carr<\/a>, 22. \u201cThe police wear them, too. People are just trying to make a big deal out of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athletic shoes, knit caps, and running shoes all lined the walls of the Brightwood neighborhood store \u2014 but no ski masks, he pointed out.<\/p>\n

Robberies are \u201chappening every day,\u201d Mr. Carr<\/a> said. \u201cYou really think you\u2019re going to be able to stop that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

By Andrea Noble <\/a>– The Washington Times – Wednesday, January 30, 2013
\nRead More: http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2013\/jan\/30\/ski-mask-is-fashion-accessory-to-crime-in-dc\/?page=all#pagebreak<\/a><\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

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Calvin’s Commentary: D.C. law already bans individuals \u2014 ages 16 and up \u2014 from wearing masks in public under certain circumstances, such as while committing a crime!\u00a0 ROFLOL!!!!\u00a0 I kid you not! Read it below!\u00a0 What happens if they ban ski masks, will robbers of 7-11’s start wearing burkas?\u00a0 Banning ski masks is as effective…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":403,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5754,3100,599,435,1871,3306,5998,701,705,885,6677,4086,827,1430,1108,450,3121,1920,101,2838,806],"tags":[7001,7010,7011,7006,7005,7012,7007,7008,7003,7002,7009,7004],"class_list":["post-23081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audacity-of-government","category-big-brother-is-here","category-big-government","category-communism","category-constitutional-unconstitutional","category-crime","category-democratic-audacity","category-democrats","category-government-2","category-government-waste","category-gun-control","category-insane-laws","category-law-enforcement","category-news-2","category-patriots","category-politics","category-radical-change-towards-tyranny-dictatorship","category-taking-america-back","category-tea-party","category-wake-up-america","category-warning","tag-ban-ski-mask","tag-black-men-wearing-ski-masks","tag-cracking-down-on-ski-masks","tag-d-c-law-already-ban-individuals-bans-ski-masks","tag-discourage-the-sale-of-ski-masks","tag-fashion-accessory-to-crime","tag-illegal-to-wear-ski-mask-while-committing-a-crime","tag-one-time-use-ski-masks","tag-robberies-committed-by-men-wearing-ski-masks","tag-ski-mask-illegal","tag-ski-mask-is-part-of-a-vague-suspect-description","tag-unable-to-identify-their-assailants"],"yoast_head":"\nSki masks, a fashion accessory to crime in D.C., may soon be illegal - Watchwoman on the Wall<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2013\/01\/ski-masks-a-fashion-accessory-to-crime-in-d-c-may-soon-be-illegal.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ski masks, a fashion accessory to crime in D.C., may soon be illegal - Watchwoman on the Wall\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Calvin’s Commentary: D.C. law already bans individuals \u2014 ages 16 and up \u2014 from wearing masks in public under certain circumstances, such as while committing a crime!\u00a0 ROFLOL!!!!\u00a0 I kid you not! 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