Neighbor Gets Temporary Protection Order Against ANC Candidate

Edward Hanlon, a candidate for a contested seat on Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle, has been named in a Temporary Protection Order issued by a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Detail from the Temporary Protection Order

The documents orders Hanlon not to assault, threaten, stalk, harass, or physically abuse a neighbor or the neighbor's husband. It also orders Hanlon not to contact the neighbor, directly or indirectly, by telephone, in writing, by text, or by social media.

At the top of the document (see detail), Hanlon is told to stay 100 feet away from the petitioner's person, home, work place, vehicle, and husband. However, in a hand-written addition on the same page, the distance is reduced to 40 feet. Hanlon is also permitted to drive to and from his home by an alley, which presumably comes closer than 40 feet to the neighbor's home or property.

The order was originally set to expire on September 19. It was extended to October 9, and then, with Hanlon's consent (according to an annotation on page one of the document), to December 2.

The petition requesting the order says the neighbor "is fearful for her safety and for the safety of her husband", "is afraid to stay in her home alone and is forced to stay with friends or family when her husband is out of town", and "keeps her home security system on at all times of the day or night".

The petition also accuses Hanlon of unlawfully entering the neighbor's property on at least two occasions and interfering with outdoor construction work taking place at the neighbor's house. Hanlon also took pictures of the neighbor's house on at least two occasions, according to the petition.

On October 27, I sent Hanlon an email asking for comment. There was no reply. On October 28, I contacted Hanlon by phone. When asked for comment, Hanlon said: "It's all untrue." Hanlon said he did not have sufficient time to respond before publication, and that he wished to respond in writing. I promised to publish Hanlon's response in full when he sends it to me. 

See a copy of the six-page Temporary Protection Order here.

I have followed the wishes of the person who brought this document to my attention and I blacked out the name of the neighbor and the neighbor's husband, as well as the neighbor's address. I have also blacked out the name of another person, who (it appears) was named in an earlier draft of the complaint, and then removed.

Finally, I have blacked out Hanlon's address, but not his name.

Hanlon is running against incumbent Noah Smith for Commissioner from District 09. This district is bounded by 14th Street NW on the east, S Street on the south, and U Street on the north. Its eastern boundary is mostly New Hampshire Avenue. See a map of ANC2B, including this district, here.

Don't know your ANC district? There are two search tools: one by the DC government, the other by Code for DC.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, but early voting centers in nine neighborhood areas opened on October 25. There is also early voting downtown at Judiciary Square.