Laborer-site concerns aired in D.C.

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Community and business leaders met last night with officials from the Metropolitan Police Department to discuss recent crime exacerbated by a throng of day laborers who gather at a Northeast shopping center looking for work.

"When you have a group of people who are not from your neighborhood, and a large group of men gathering, people become worried and become fearful," said Raymond Chandler, an advisory neighborhood commissioner who scheduled the meeting at Isle of Patmos Baptist Church at 12th Street and Rhode Island Avenue. "These people are coming into our community wreaking chaos and confusion."

As many as 200 mostly Hispanic day laborers congregate each day at a Brentwood shopping plaza — which includes a Home Depot and Giant grocery store — looking to link up with contractors for jobs.

Residents said some of the workers loiter, drink alcohol and urinate in public. After a Hispanic man was stabbed in a fight last month, some in the community fear for their safety.

Residents, merchants, police and the senior property manager for the shopping plaza were expected last night to discuss strategies to help curb problems associated with the day laborers.

"There's so many of them sitting out there, and they'll run up to your car," said Harriet Rattler, 80, who lives in the neighborhood. "People get frightened."

Marquis McClure, president of Atlantic Security Professionals Inc., which posts an officer at the plaza, said much of the responsibility for keeping order among the workers should fall on Home Depot, because the laborers often gather on the company's property.

"We realize the day laborers are there," Mr. McClure said. "But the day laborers are not breaking any law, and they are on the property of Home Depot."

Emily Herson, the senior property manager at the plaza for Carl M. Freeman Cos., said she recently wrote a letter authorizing D.C. police officers to make arrests at the center if they see illegal activity, though a police spokesman later said officers are authorized to make arrests anywhere in the District.

"I can assure you it's going to be addressed now," Miss Herson said. "We don't want that kind of activity going on."

Meanwhile, D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr., the Ward 5 Democrat who represents the area, has proposed placing a city-funded training center near the plaza to connect day laborers and others with jobs.

Mr. Thomas secured $500,000 to fund the center and said it will help solve some of the complaints.

But some community members have adamantly opposed the plan, saying it would use taxpayer dollars to serve illegal aliens and that adequate services already exist in the area.

Mr. Thomas was looking at two sites near the plaza for the center. He said yesterday that he has not abandoned his plans but hopes to open a constituent-services office in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue.

He said the office will offer job training and social services, and will be a "stopgap" until he can find a suitable site for the permanent day-laborer center.

"I don't just want to plop it down," Mr. Thomas said. "We're working on a cooperative plan to come up with the best approach to solve the problems."

Mr. Thomas did not attend Mr. Chandler's meeting last night. He held a separate meeting in Northeast to discuss safety issues in his ward and to introduce 5th District police Cmdr. Lamar Greene.