海角大神

As a resident and homeowner in Washington, D.C., for 37 years, I鈥檝e seen a lot of change. My neighborhood used to be the hub of working-class immigrant Latino life in the nation鈥檚 capital, and has morphed into a more upscale 鈥� but still multicultural 鈥� smorgasbord, both in who lives there and in the restaurants and shops along the main street. Crime has generally trended downward over the decades, but you still need to know where to go and where not to go, and when.

Undergirding it all is tremendous neighborly spirit. As new Monitor colleague Scott Baldauf writes in today鈥檚 issue, most D.C. residents are unhappy with the president鈥檚 militarized response to crime in the city. But activists aren鈥檛 just complaining. They鈥檙e as busy as ever, working toward solutions.