Wednesday, October 29, 2014

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.

12 comments:

  1. Okay, I'll tuck this in my hat to know if I'm challenging anyone's possible illegal construction to be friendly and put on a false front lest I get a protection order against me.
    Can someone challenge a protection order?
    I remember one neighborhood activist put a protection order against another neighborhood activist (they had differing world views) which just proved that local politics is a certain flavor of nasty.

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  2. I do not believe there was any illegal construction in this particular case. Rather, the candidate was intruding on the residents' property, taking photos nonstop, etc.

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  3. What is pretty incredible about this is that if this candidate were to get elected, he would not actually be able to go into certain parts of his own ANC ward.

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  4. There is no vending machine that dispenses Protection Orders. They are the result of a Court process, and are issued by the Court. POs are not a victim saying stay away, they are the Superior Court telling someone to stay away. As the documents spell out: there is a hearing, the parties are invited to provide their view, etc.

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  5. I am a neighbor of this guy and he constantly took photos and videos of our house because he didn't like our approved construction project (it was approved by both historic preservation and by DCRA, and later by the Board of Zoning). I wish we had a protective order against him as well and I have not doubt as to why it was needed.

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  6. He's a weirdo. I've seen him out taking pictures of people's homes. Many neighbors have said the same. I hear yelling from his house at night usually around midnight. I wish it were a joke.

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  7. I know "Ed" Hanlon! He has also been creepy and taken pictures of my house and property to use it against me. He always has his dogs loose, AND has a car with Maryland tags. Why do we want someone to represent us who doesn't even follow the rules/laws himself.

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  8. bottom line...he is not the right candidate to help lead our community, This article makes that very clear, The re-election of the very competent Noah Smith, is moving forward with a person who has the best interests of the neighborhood and will be a good steward for us.

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  9. He is a neighbor of mine and I can say he does not think the law applies to him. He drives and domiciles a hummer at his house that is registered in Maryland, that is a clear violation of the law. He defaces public property by painted curbs yellow to make sure his hummer has enough room to get in and out of the alley way. He has constructed an illegal, obtrusive treebox and refused to fix it until the City threatened him, his oversized, overweight and not historically appropriate roof deck is causing his house to tilt over into the ally and, by a layman's eye, looks as if it will collapse. I have no doubt that he trespassed on this woman's property and created a situation where a she felt unsafe.

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  10. His tree box prevented anyone who parked in front of his house from opening their car door to exit and enter their vehicle. It takes a certain type of gaul to impede other people's access. People such as Mr. Hanlon would be happier if he lived on a large lot away from neighbors instead of in a city row-house. The neighbors would also be happier if he was distant from them.

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  11. I've known Ed for over 10 years, he is nuts! I'm happy I'm in a different ANC. Its actually surprising that this didn't happen before....

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  12. This guy is seriously the WORST. If he is elected, it's due to something seriously shady.

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