About twenty hours ago, I wrote that surges in both murder and heroin use "are happening as much as anywhere in our nation's capital, indeed within blocks of where Congress sits."

When Capitol Hill's police advisory council usually convenes to discuss crime and policing issues, a handful of residents show up. On Sept. 1, it was standing room only.

Capitol Hill residents and others living in the Metropolitan Police Department's 1st District gathered at the police station in southwest D.C. to voice concerns about the recent spike in violent crime rocking the nation's capital. In the front row sat 13 year-old Taije Chambliss, who walked into the station with help from a walker. Chambliss was recovering from being shot in a drive-by shooting on Aug. 30, just a few blocks from the police station.

"It's getting old," one clearly frustrated resident told 1st District Commander Jeff Brown. "It's getting increasingly more dangerous...."

"Keep your personals, your cell phones, things like that. It's a good idea to put those items away, draw less attention to yourself while riding the subway, walking the platforms, things of that nature," Byrd advised, also noting residents should try to travel in groups.

This would be laughable if it weren't the case that, in a few days, some legislators from this self-same Capitol Hill will likely announce legislation whose core premise is simple: "Criminals aren't the bad guys; they're victims of circumstance, including a system we helped create. No, the American people are the bad guys for being so mindlessly punitive.  Here, violent criminals, take these keys to the prison, walk out, and show us how well rehab works!"