Logan Circle in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

It Takes a Village

A Fitting Tribute

— Logan Circle Heritage Trail —

It Takes a Village Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

1. It Takes a Village Marker

Inscription. After the Civil Disturbances following the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, 14th Street appeared largely abandoned by day. By night, however, residents witnessed scenes of the “world's oldest profession,” Since the 1950s, when prostitution migrated here from downtown DC, men in cars from around the region seeking women caused traffic jams. This trade flourished because prostitutes were often bailed out of jail within hours and returned to the streets. In addition three police districts intersected at 14th and L Streets, so instead of making arrests, officers often simply shooed prostitutes and their customers into someone else's district. “You don't want your crime rate to go up,” one officer told a reporter in 1989, “so you make them go somewhere else.” On one notable summer night that year, a police sergeant trying to send them “somewhere else” marched 24 women all the way to the 14th Street Bridge. Undaunted, the women returned in cabs.

Area residents finally had had enough. Leading the battle was the Logan Circle Community Association.

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The association formed shortly after the neighborhood received its 1972 listing on the National Register of Historic Places. To fight prostitution, LCCA members photographed customers, affixed day-glo stickers to their cars,and took brothel owners to court. With homebuyer subsidies and low-interest loans, some LCCA members purchased and rehabilitated houses, including some long used as brothels. With LCCA help, stronger penalties, and the emergence of the Internet as a marketplace, the trade began to subside in the early 1990s.

In addition to its anti-crime work, LCCA helped beautify Logan Circle and worked to expand the historic district.

Erected 2012 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 14.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • Women. In addition, it is included in the Logan Circle Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1968.

Location. 38° 54.529′ N, 77° 1.904′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Logan Circle. It is at the intersection of 14th Street

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 2, 2017

2. It Takes a Village Marker

Northwest and Rhode Island Avenue Northwest when traveling south on 14th Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1345 14th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20005, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Treading the Boards (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bethune Museum-Archives (about 400 feet away); Striving for Equality (about 400 feet away); When Logan Rode The Battle Line (about 400 feet away); No Braver Man Than John Logan (about 500 feet away); John Logan House (about 500 feet away); The Artistic Life (about 500 feet away); Logan Circle (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

Additional keywords. prostitution, sex work

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

3. It Takes a Village Marker

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

4. It Takes a Village Marker

Raleigh House<br> 1502 13th Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

5. Raleigh House
1502 13th Street

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 739 times since then and 34 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on January 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 2, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.