As an alumnus, former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and former long-term resident of Georgetown, I’m glad to see efforts towards greater dialogue between non-student residents and student residents.
Certainly, students need to be aware that noise and trash in the area are serious issues and relations would improve dramatically if these problems were minimized. Most residents don’t hate students?they just want a little less noise and a little more order in their neighborhood. However, any honest discussion of town-gown relations must include the fact that there exists a small yet very active group of extremists in Georgetown who have opposed almost anything and everything that benefits the university and its students. In recent years, these “activists” have tried to take away student voting rights, tried to shut down the Hoya Kids daycare center, presented falsified documentation to city officials, and a few have even made anti-Catholic comments at neighborhood meetings. (This list could continue for several pages.) While these extremists do not represent the majority of residents, they remain an active force in local politics.
My recommendation: Students should take positive action by registering to vote in D.C., then use their energy to work together with the reasonable majority on the real problems that exist. Meanwhile, nearby residents need to publicly denounce those neighbors who promote undemocratic or discriminatory laws or who distribute false information on critical issues. By working together, quality of life will improve while the extremists will remain muffled.
Daniel Rabbitt (SFS ‘88, MBA ‘93)
