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Mar 19, 2005
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Make sure to have fine French wine and cheese at your villa

Would-Be Robber Stays for Wine, Hugs
The Guests Were Enjoying French Wine and Cheese on a Capitol Hill Patio. When a Gunman Burst In, the Would-Be Robbery Took an Unusual Turn.


By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 13, 2007; Page B01


A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting on the back patio of a Capitol Hill home, sipping red wine. Suddenly, a hooded man slid in through an open gate and put the barrel of a handgun to the head of a 14-year-old guest.

"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," he demanded, according to D.C. police and witness accounts.

The five other guests, including the girls' parents, froze -- and then one spoke.
"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, blurted out. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"

The intruder took a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exup?ry and said, "Damn, that's good wine."

The girl's father, Michael Rabdau, 51, who described the harrowing evening in an interview, told the intruder, described as being in his 20s, to take the whole glass. Rowan offered him the bottle. The would-be robber, his hood now down, took another sip and had a bite of Camembert cheese that was on the table.

Then he tucked the gun into the pocket of his nylon sweatpants.
"I think I may have come to the wrong house," he said, looking around the patio of the home in the 1300 block of Constitution Avenue NE.
"I'm sorry," he told the group. "Can I get a hug?"

Rowan, who lives in Falls Church and works part time at her children's school, stood up and wrapped her arms around him. Then it was Rabdau's turn. Then his wife's. The other two guests complied.

"That's really good wine," the man said, taking another sip. He had a final request: "Can we have a group hug?"
The five adults surrounded him, arms out.

With that, the man walked out with a crystal wine glass in hand, filled with Chateau Malescot. No one was hurt, and nothing was stolen. ...
 
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aegap

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Mar 19, 2005
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Say no to drive-bys, ...err, fake bys ..

A Plea to the Code of the Streets


After Burst of Violence, Group Urges Criminals to Shun Dive-Bys

By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 26, 2007; Page B04



..an unwritten code among criminals brands some violent acts -- rapes, crimes against children -- as senseless brutality. Now, a group of .. peace activists wants to amend that code to add another heinous crime: drive-by shootings.
"If you do a drive-by, we want it to be unacceptable to go back into the community," said Ronald Moten, co-founder of Peaceoholics, a community-based group that tries to solve disputes among young people. "Doing drive-bys is being a coward, not being a man."

Moten had a news conference yesterday ... to denounce the style of shootings he calls "fake-bys." The gathering was at Peaceoholics headquarters in the 600 block of Raleigh Street SE. A teenager was shot in the back in that block last week during a two-hour burst of violence in which 11 people were shot -- nine in drive-bys.
Peaceoholics plans to spread its message by taking some street leaders on a retreat next month. The group hopes that the leaders will convince others that drive-bys are unacceptable.
The group said denouncing drive-bys is a way to reduce violence. There have been 102 homicides in the District this year, compared with 97 at this time last year.
"You got to start someplace," Barry said. "No drive-bys is something even hustlers can understand."

Moten noted that he considers drive-bys a major danger to the community because large numbers of people can be hurt or killed. Anecdotally, Moten said he believes there has been an increase in drive-by shootings recently. D.C. police track shootings but do not keep statistics based on type.
In the 7th Police District, the area in Southeast Washington that had the majority of last week's shootings, there have been 181 shootings so far this year, slightly fewer than last year. But the area has had 49 homicides, compared with 47 at this time last year.
As part of Peaceoholics' outreach, Moten said he and his staff will go to the D.C. jail to spread their message. He made a plea yesterday to inmates.
"When these jokers come into prison for doing a drive-by, don't make it comfortable for them," Moten said.
"Make it like they're a rapist," he added, referencing the violence sex offenders often face in prison.