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Dupont Circle public-safety activist Rob Halligan has had his share of run-ins with Nathan Johnson, an inveterate thief who’s pilfered clothes, food, and trinkets from many an automobile in Northwest over the past five years. So when Halligan spotted Johnson yet again in the company of police officers this past fall, after the 46-year-old was nabbed for allegedly breaking into someone else’s car, Halligan started casually kicking around the idea of pushing for a “Nathan Johnson Law” that would be designed to punish the worst of the city’s recidivists (“Nerves of Steel,” 11/24/06). Although most eponymous statutes serve to memorialize rather than shame their honorees (think: Megan’s Law), Halligan’s talk wasn’t hyperbole. On Dec. 11, he visited the John A. Wilson Building to grab the ears of various D.C. councilmembers, among them Phil Mendelson, chair of the judiciary committee, to discuss the possibility of what Halligan describes as a “three strikes, you’re out or 10 strikes, you’re out” kind of criminal-justice bill. During their 15-minute chat, says Halligan, Mendelson agreed to investigate whether a “Nathan Johnson Law” would be necessary and feasible. “I would be willing to look at legislative proposals,” says the councilmember. As for the statute name, Halligan says he likes the working title but isn’t wedded to it. “That would be fine, but I really don’t care,” he says. “I think it rings nicely, but we can call it the Mendelson Law if that will get it passed.”