WASHINGTON – (WMAL) A lot of work has been done to improve the Shaw neighborhood in the last 15 years, bringing it back from the degradation from the 1968 riots.

There have been 98 murders in D.C. so far this year with a number of them in the Shaw neighborhood.

ANC Commissioner Alexander Padro said while people are concerned about the spike in violence in the area, it shouldn’t affect businesses and development in the neighborhood.

“This is just another blip in the long story of making this one of the most attractive neighborhoods in the city to eat, live, work, shop and play,” said Padro.

So far he said people continue to go out and aren’t shutting themselves in their homes due to the violence.

One reason people may feel comfortable dining and shopping in Shaw is the addition of hundreds of police officers patrolling the streets last weekend, which is something Padro said is unsustainable.

“It was a sea of blue, but we can’t do that everyday in Shaw. We can’t do that everyday in every neighborhood in the city, so I’m very eager to see what kind of approaches the chief [Police Chief Cathy Lanier] is going to come up with to try to bring this under control,” Padro said.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a press conference Wednesday illegal firearms are used in the majority of the homicides in D.C.

To get those guns off the streets, the Metropolitan Police Department is offering a $2,500 award for anyone who gives them tips that lead them to illegal firearms.

Until Wednesday, the award for that information was $1,000.

Whether the increased award will encourage people to contact police remains to be seen. Some residents said people are afraid to tip off police.

Lanier said people can remain anonymous and still get the money.

Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Heather Curtis)