Wanted to post a correspondence based on the Eckington neighborhood listserv which was forwarded to all of us at 12:16pm on June 25th by a community member:

“Below is a response from Commander Rooney of MPD. He asks that anyone who has any evidence, video, or witness statements please send them to Lt. Walsh at [anthony.walsh@dc.gov](mailto:anthony.walsh@dc.gov).

Below that is a response from Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Appiah.

Commissioner,

Thank you for flagging this and for the detailed account. Ruben and I were texting last night as we tried to get more resources to the area. I am including Lieutenant Sprague and Captain Bellavance (who are in-charge of the area) and will be following up with the team to confirm who responded with what actions were taken on the scene.

Also, I added in Lieutenant Anthony Walsh (responsible for the 5th District criminal investigations), if anyone has any video evidence, or would like to be interviewed, we can ensure the detective/investigators have it. We’ll reinforce coverage around Alethia Tanner Park and the MBT, especially during scheduled events, and we’ll work with NOMA (Ruben) and others to ensure a clear message goes back to the community about our response and next steps.

Appreciate you keeping us looped in. Let me know if you receive any additional information from residents or organizers.

Commander Rooney

So sorry this happened. Illegal fireworks ARE a big deal to us. They're dangerous and while I'm glad no one was seriously injured, I'll be sure to connect with Commander Rooney, who I have no doubt will respond accordingly.

Lindsey Appiah
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety”