Harry Jaffe, one of the deans of Washington journalism and co-author of the definitive book on modern DC political history, has a knack for getting things wrong about Georgetown. When he doesn’t think we’re a dying commercial district, he thinks the neighborhood blocked Metro. Now he’s back raising fears about a violent crime wave, and he drops Georgetown’s name ominously:
In the 2nd Police District, which includes Georgetown, assaults with a dangerous weapon, excluding guns, went up 143 percent this October compared to 2008.
Wow, those are some alarming stats. They surely mean that the Second District, and Georgetown in particular, is a dangerous place. Right?
Well, no. Jaffe is throwing around percentages not actual numbers. According to the stats GM found, the number of ADW without a gun in October for MPD2D was 17, up from 7 last year. Yes that is a 143% rise, but the plural of anecdote is not data. And these numbers are so small that they barely qualify as “plural”. Continue reading
The Georgetown Metropolitan 