Man Charged with Murder

The Alexandria Police Department has charged Bisrat Shaga, a 35-year-old Alexandria resident, with first-degree murder in the Nov. 12 stabbing death of a man in the 2700 block of Dewitt Avenue, who was identified as Emmanuel Negatu, 38, of Centreville, Va.  

On Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, at approximately 4:27 p.m., the Alexandria Police Department responded to a call regarding a stabbing. Upon arrival, APD officers found a 38-year-old male who died inside the location. 

This remains an active investigation and the Alexandria Police Department is asking that anyone with information regarding this incident please contact Detective M. Kramarik via phone at 703.746.6650, email at Matthew.Kramarik@Alexandriava.gov, or call our non-emergency line at 703.746.4444. Tips can be anonymous. 

No Turn on Red for High-Crash Corridor?

The City of Alexandria is proposing to install No Turn on Red restrictions at several intersections on Duke Street between North Ripley Street and Jordan Street:

• Duke Street and North Ripley Street

• Duke Street and South Reynolds Street

• Duke Street and North Paxton Street

• Duke Street and South Pickett Street

• Duke Street and Shoppes of Foxchase entrance

No Turn on Red restrictions are already in place at Duke Street and North Pickett Street/Cameron Station Boulevard and Duke Street and Jordan Street.

The proposal is part of the Duke Street Turn Calming project to implement near-term safety improvements on Duke Street, which is one of the City’s high-crash corridors. Since 2017, there have been over 150 crashes on Duke Street between Jordan Street and Ripley Street, over a third of which resulted in a fatality or an injury. All 14 crashes involving people walking resulted in injury or death. Improving safety on the City’s high-injury network is key to meeting its adopted Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe crashes by 2028.

No Turn on Red restrictions are a common treatment nationwide to improve safety for people walking. NTORs also increase safety for people in cars by reducing the risk of angle crashes from drivers attempting to turn right on red. In Alexandria, over 20% of the City’s approximately 250 signalized intersections feature No Turn on Red restrictions, including on similarly busy corridors like Richmond Highway, Washington Street, North Beauregard Street, and other parts of Duke Street.

The proposed No Turn on Reds would be accompanied by Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), a traffic signal treatment that improves safety by giving people walking a head start into the intersection, before motorists receive the green light. This project also includes the addition of left-turn arrows at select locations as well as turn-calming treatments to slow turning speeds, reduce crossing distances, and improve safety for drivers making left turns.

This Vision Zero initiative is one of many projects to achieve the vision that Duke Street “become a become a safe, efficient, and desirable community connector for people riding the bus, walking, biking, and driving.” See the Duke Street Projects website to learn more about the other initiatives.

The proposed No Turn on Red restrictions will be presented to the City’s Traffic & Parking Board for a public hearing on Jan, 22, 2024. Additional information is available on the project webpage.

Book Themed Dinners to Raise Funds for Scholarships

A new round of Tables of Conscience, book-themed dinners, are planned to raise money for the 2024 scholarships in the names of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas. These dinners will be held in January and February in order to raise the amount needed by March 1, 2024 for two scholarships worth $3,000 each for two African American Alexandria City High School students.

Three Alexandria Community Remembrance Project members have volunteered to host dinners in their homes for 8-12 people from 6-9 p.m. Those interested in attending will select one of the books listed below and buy a ticket through the Office of Historic Alexandria’s online ticket system. About a week before the dinner, ticket holders will receive an email with the name and address of the hosts.

Consider buying a $125 ticket based on a book you would like to read and join other Alexandria Community Remembrance Project members to discuss one of these racial justice topics. The book is not included in the ticket price and should be purchased separately from a local bookstore. Consider giving the gift of a social justice experience this holiday season by buying a ticket and a book for someone else.

If you are unable to attend one of the dinners, you can still support the Memorial Scholarships by donating through the campaign page with the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.

For Jan. 13, the book is “Slavery By Another Name, the Reenslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II,” By Douglas A. Blackmon.

For Feb. 3, the book is “It's the Little Things, Everyday Interactions that Anger, Annoy and Divide the Races,” By Lena Williams.

For Feb. 10, the book is, “The Half That Has Never Been Told: Slavery and American Capitalism, by Edward E. Baptist.