Alters residents’ routines, lifestyles
Sarah Pitluck, a Capitol Hill resident who was robbed in the neighborhood, walks her dogs Lenzi, left, and Pedro. A man grabbed Pitluck’s phone out of her hand and scratched her chest and neck. Police have not made an arrest in the case. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)
Sarah Pitluck used to walk her dogs before dawn, among the early risers exercising on Capitol Hill. She now waits until first light, and for the streets to be busier.
It is just one way the young man who robbed her, ripping the smartphone from her hand and scratching her neck, has changed her daily routine — and her life.
Ever since the Oct. 13 robbery just two blocks from her home, the pharmaceutical executive goes to work later and comes home before it gets dark. Lost time at her office is made up at home, on the phone with her overseas staffers and answering e-mails. She drives more often and pairs with others on neighborhood excursions. Her poodle, Lenzi, and Chihuahua mix, Pedro, get walks only during daylight hours.
A recent wave of street robberies has scared residents of this neighborhood that stretches out from the U.S. Capitol, spilling into Hill East and the Navy Yard neighborhood and up to the H Street corridor. Attackers have stolen not only cellphones and money, but also a sense of security.
“Screw you for taking that away from me,” Pitluck said of the man who robbed her and his getaway driver.
Sarah Pitluck, a Capitol Hill resident who was robbed in the neighborhood, walks her dogs Lenzi, left, and Pedro. A man grabbed Pitluck’s phone out of her hand and scratched her chest and neck. Police have not made an arrest in the case. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)
Sarah Pitluck used to walk her dogs before dawn, among the early risers exercising on Capitol Hill. She now waits until first light, and for the streets to be busier.
It is just one way the young man who robbed her, ripping the smartphone from her hand and scratching her neck, has changed her daily routine — and her life.
Ever since the Oct. 13 robbery just two blocks from her home, the pharmaceutical executive goes to work later and comes home before it gets dark. Lost time at her office is made up at home, on the phone with her overseas staffers and answering e-mails. She drives more often and pairs with others on neighborhood excursions. Her poodle, Lenzi, and Chihuahua mix, Pedro, get walks only during daylight hours.
A recent wave of street robberies has scared residents of this neighborhood that stretches out from the U.S. Capitol, spilling into Hill East and the Navy Yard neighborhood and up to the H Street corridor. Attackers have stolen not only cellphones and money, but also a sense of security.
“Screw you for taking that away from me,” Pitluck said of the man who robbed her and his getaway driver.
