Crime scene tape on Prospect between Bedford and Franklin

Does anybody know why a big chunk of sidewalk was cordoned off with crime scene tape on Prospect Place this morning? A beat cop was standing watch over it, but I didn't have time to stop and ask what happened.

I know it must've been after 11 p.m. last night, because it wasn't there when I got home. There's nothing on Patch or from DCPI about it.

What's going on?

OK, for the 140 or so people who have clicked on that post and now believe, as I did, that something horrible (and characteristically violent) had befallen this stately block, I spoke to the beat cop as I was coming home.

Turns out a giant decorative brick fell off the second story of an apartment building and shattered on the ground. Sidewalk was cordoned off for safety reasons. Tempest in a teakettle.

Thanks for finding out!

My pleasure. Between the irrational sadness I feel for a zero-reply post and my disbelief that a two-year-old thread has clawed its way back into the top 5 most recent, I felt kind of compelled to solve the mystery.

I just passed by there. The tape was still up and a cop was there. Are you saying there's a cop there at this hour because of a giant fallen brick?

Yup.

If you look up at the second-story window to the left of the door, you can see the empty mounting where the brick (more of a stone, really) used to be. And to the left of the stoop, you can see the shattered bits of it. And then there's the super-helpful sign taped to the front door that just says "LOOK OUT."

Aren't there often cops on Franklin due to the Impact Zone?

This cop ends up standing by a brick, as opposed to 95 South....

Don't be sad, OP. I think most people just had no idea, and didn't want to fill up the thread by saying "dunno." Thanks for finding out, though Glad no one got clobbered by it. I'll take a tumbling decorative brick over a drive-by any day.

The PD is responsible to safeguard the area and protect citizens from potential injuries caused by additional falling debris until the building dept takes control of the location. If after 3 days the building dept has not arrived...every man for himself. Imagine if the cop said,"ah, no big deal" and left an unsafe condition there and a little while later Grandma or little Susie is walking by and WHOMP, she's hit in the head with a brick. Another payday and settlement against the city.

Yeah, ParadeRest. I've got no problems with an officer being stationed there to ensure nobody gets brained by falling masonry. It spares both potential anguish and costly settlements.

Of course, I also have no idea how rowdy 95 South has been recently...

Well, this is off-topic, but since D_R just brought it up, I noticed that 95 South was ripped apart the other day. Anyone know if they're remodeling, closing, or neither?

What's the cop supposed to do to stop the bricks from falling? And is he wearing a hardhat?

He's preventing people from walking into a danger zone.