DC Attorney General's Office Launches Charm Offensive at ANCs

In the quest for budget independence, representatives of newly-elected DC Attorney General Karl Racine stopped off at the regular monthly meetings of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) 2F/Logan Circle on Wednesday, April 1, and 1B/U Street last night, Thursday, April 2.

Representatives of the office pitched a plan that would allow the Attorney General's office to retain up to $20 million annually from settlements and awards it wins as a result of litigation.

"We want to keep some of the food we kill," said Vanessa Natale, chief of the Neighborhood and Victim Services Section of the Attorney General's Office at  ANC2F's meeting.

"What we're asking for is to be more independent," Natale also said.

Natale told the ANC the Attorney General's office was seeking the unusual funding arrangement in part to be able to hire more attorneys. The office currently has 275 attorneys, she said, and it needed another 75 attorneys to bring it up to size that similar offices have in cities of the same size.

The Attorney General's office also wished to strengthen its consumer protection division, she said, and be able to fund a proposed new "affordable housing" division.

Natale also compared the budget of the Attorney General's office -- about $55 million a year, or 1% of the District's overall budget -- with the amount of money the office ("a revenue-generating agency for the District government") takes in. For example, the Attorney General's office won an award of $60-90 million from online hotel companies who were booking hotel rooms without paying appropriate taxes.

A presentation submitted to the ANCs said: "This fiscal year, we project that we will recover or save the District more than a billion dollars."

At the ANC1B meeting last night, attorney Argatonia Weatherington, also of the Neighborhood and Victim Services Section of the Attorney General's Office, made a similar, but shorter, presentation, emphasizing that the Attorney General's Office sought "more independence" and "more autonomy". The Attorney General's office wished to retain a portion of settlements and awards in order to "expand the organization". Weatherington mentioned hiring 65-75 new attorneys.

The proposal must be approved by the DC Council. Natale said a hearing on the proposal is scheduled for April 22. Weatherington told ANC1B the hearing on April 27.

See a March 30 article from the Washington Post about Racine's proposal here.

Tropicalia Assault Case Report: No Blame on Club

The owner of the dance club Tropicalia (2001 14th Street NW) gave a freshly-minted official report to a committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street on March 18. This report, the owner said, exonerated his club of any wrong-doing concerning two alleged cases of assault by club bouncers against women customers -- see SALM blog post of January 22.

Tropicalia is in the basement of this building at 14th and U

Jesse Cornelius, Public Affairs Specialist at DC's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA), said in an email the report (see copy here) states that ABRA "took the matter under consideration and decided to take no further action."

The chair of the liquor-licensing affairs committee, Nick Baumann, began the discussion as a part of the committee's regularly-scheduled committee meeting. Baumann had invited both the customers and the club ownership to the meeting to discuss the incident, and both sides were present.

"It's not our role to rule on the facts," Baumann said.

Baumann then said ABRA had not yet ruled on the case. It was at that moment that Tropicalia owner Amanollah Ayoubi first informed the committee of the ABRA report's existence. Ayoubi said the report had been issued that day and had "dismissed the case". He gave the committee a copy of the report.

Ayoubi was given the floor and disputed much of the customers' version of events as presented to the committee in January. The owner's version of events largely agrees with that presented in the ABRA report. For example, one customer stated at the January committee meeting she had been assaulted by the nightclub bouncer. However, the report says the only assault that occurred at that time was when the woman struck the bouncer after refusing to leave.

The owner also said there was no video of the incident. The club keeps surveillance camera video for two weeks. They were notified by ABRA of the investigation 17 days after the incident took place, the owner said.

The owner also accused the customers of waging an unfair campaign against the club on social media.

ANC Commissioner John Green (district 12 -- where Tropicalia is located) asked if the bouncer involved in the incident was still working at Tropicalia.

Another member of the management team said the bouncer involved in the incident had left -- "for unrelated reasons".

The customers who had made the allegations and their allies sat silently while the owner talked to the committee. When he was finished, Baumann asked if they wished to say anything. One of them took up his offer.

"The reason I came before this body was to give you a heads up," she said.

She said she had been "attacked and injured" at the club and a report had been "filed with the prosecutor". However, she said, she understood the owner's perspective.

"I want to prevent that from happening again," she said.

Barring further developments, this seems to be the end of the case. The committee did not take any action or any vote on this matter at the meeting.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

Problem Liquor Stores at 14th and U and in Columbia Heights Seek Liquor License Renewal

This is the second of two articles published today about renewals of liquor store licenses -- more specifically, about the renewals that the liquor licensing affairs committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street discussed at its March 18 meeting. All DC liquor stores have until the end of March to file applications to renew their Class A liquor licenses.

Many of the applications seemed routine and generated little or no discussion. The two cases below were exceptions.

Bestway Liquors

The owner of Bestway Liquors (2011 14th Street) attended the meeting and reported that his mandatory placard about the renewal application has been up in the window of his store for about a week. Commissioner John Green (district 12 -- also the location of Bestway Liquors) reported "positive and negative remarks" via email about the store. He read the emails to the meeting about the store, which is located on the east side of 14th Street just north of U Street. Some emails said the store "attracts unsavory people", that there were "people loitering", and "drunks passed out" in front of the store.

Bestway Liquors and placard on March 19

The owner of the store said he tried to do everything possible to limit people from congregating in front of his store, but the space was after all a public sidewalk as well as a bus stop. He said it was particularly difficult to get people to clear out of the bus stop, which had a bench. Police had told him not to shoo people away from the store -- he should call the police, because anything on the sidewalk was police responsibility.

The owner and his attorney showed the ANC several "certificates of compliance", which is what liquor stores get when DC authorities attempt a "sting" to get the store to sell liquor to underage or obviously drunk patrons, and the store (complying with the law) refuses to do so. The owner also showed several "barring notices" -- official documents that allow an owner to refuse to sell to specific individuals who have been a problem. On some occasions, the owner says he observes, on the store's security cameras, barred individuals sitting at the bus stop persuading others to buy liquor on their behalf. When the owner sees this, he said, he refuses the sale.

The owner also said he does not sell malt liquor or "singles".

A police officer at the committee meeting said the MPD had a new additional police officer assigned to that stretch of U Street and hoped the officer would reduce the problems in front of Bestway Liquors.

The committee voted to take no action. If there are no official complaints to DC's liquor-licensing authorities, the store will probably have its license renewed.

Fairmont Liquors

"It draws a huge crowd of Howard students," said one committee member of Fairmont Liquors (2633 Sherman Avenue).

"They come in six, seven, ten at a time," the owner of Fairmont Liquors told the committee.

(Google Street View)

The committee noted three cases of selling liquor to minors. In November 2014, Fairmont Liquors was fined $8000 and ordered closed for 15 days for selling to underaged individuals who were probably Howard students -- see SALM blog post of December 9, 2014.

"The problem is a fake ID," the owner said. "They [meaning, the ID cards] come from many states, not just Virginia, Maryland, but Alaska, many states."

The owner told the committee he had gotten a booklet from DC's liquor-licensing authorities to help him distinguish genuine out-of-state IDs from not-so-genuine.

"We need to take a serious look at the record," said ANC1B Chair James Turner (Commissioner for district 08). Turner noted there were occasions when there was no ID check.

"Is that a good community neighborhood establishment?" Turner said.

During the discussion it was also noted there had been a homicide at the liquor store sometime during the last three years. However, the homicide was unconnected with the store, except for the fact that it took place there, and no one suggested the owner was in any way culpable.

A member of the committee asked if the establishment had security camera. The owner said he had one inside camera and was planning four cameras outside.

The liquor license renewal application for Fairmont Liquors has not started its placarding period yet, so there was no vote at the meeting. The committee expects to take up the case at its next meeting. The owner was advised to prepare as much as possible in order to make a strong case for renewal when he comes before the committee.

Many other liquor stores in the area between U Street and Columbia Heights are coming up for renewal -- see the bottom of today's other post for a list.

Recently-robbed LeDroit Market Gets Community Help, Committee Endorsement

LeDroit Market (1901 14th Street NW) is getting support from its neighbors after it was robbed. It also easily got endorsement for a regularly-scheduled renewal of its liquor license at a March 18 meeting of a committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street.

(Google Street View)

Liquor licenses come up for renewal every three years, timed so that each year a different class of license comes up for renewal. This year, it's "class A" liquor licenses -- that is, the licenses that allow liquor stores to operate -- and their application for license renewal must be filed before the end of March.

LeDroit Market seemed to be the first local establishment to file for renewal. At the meeting, Commissioner Brian Footer (district 01 -- also the location of LeDroit Market) told the committee the store had been "amazing" and an "absolute model" of an excellent community business, soliciting neighborhood opinion from the get-go.

The committee voted unanimously to endorse the application of LeDroit Market to renew its liquor license. The application will move next to the full ANC, which is scheduled to meet on Thursday, April 2, at 7pm, at a location to be determined.

Footer also reported LeDroit Market was robbed last weekend. A member of the MPD told the committee the robbers took about $400, but the market had "a good surveillance camera".

Footer told the ANC that LeDroit Park residents were organizing an event for next Wednesday, March 25, between 7 and 9pm. Local residents will make a special effort to go to the store and purchase items at that time in order to show support. The next day, a report of the same upcoming event appeared on the blog Left for LeDroit.

In addition to LeDroit Market, The ANC1B's liquor licensing affairs committee had a list of local liquor stores needing license renewals in its jurisdiction, which runs from U Street up to Columbia Heights and from 15th Street to Georgia Avenue.

Two other liquor stores, Bestway Liquors (2011 14th Street) and Fairmont Liquors (2633 Sherman Avenue) generated some discussion, which is the subject of a separate SALM post today.

A longer list of local liquor stores generated little or no discussion at the meeting, in part because no one from the public showed up to complain, and in part because they haven't completed their paperwork. These establishments include:

• Dove House Liquors (1905 9th Street)
• Florida Liquors (2222 14th Street)
• Gallagher & Graham (1939 12th Street)
• Harvard Liquors (2901 Sherman Avenue)
• Joe Caplan Liquors (1913 7th Street)
• Serv-u-liquors (1935 9th Street)

These will all probably be considered at next month's meeting after they officially apply for renewal of their license. The liquor licensing affairs committee normally meets on the third Wednesday of every month at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th Street) at 7pm -- next month, that will be April 15th. If you want to see a local liquor store change their behavior, this is an excellent opportunity to try to make it happen.

Shaw Restaurant Wants Public Space, ANC Wants Security Cameras

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw endorsed a request for 50 seats of sidewalk seating for the Shaw branch of Beau Thai restaurant (550 7th Street NW, at the corner of P Street) at its regular monthly meeting on March 2. However, it included the stipulation that Beau Thai should install outdoor security cameras -- apparently not part of Beau Thai's plan or request.

Interior of Beau Thai Shaw (photo credit below)

Andrew Klein of Veritas Law Firm represented Beau Thai. He told ANC6E the request was for 750 square feet of unfenced sidewalk space with umbrellas. It is located on the P Street side of the mixed-use building where Beau Thai is located, between 7th Street and an alley. The space will close at 11am Sunday to Thursday evenings and midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Tables will be brought inside or secured once outdoor seating hours have passed.

The normal DC requirement for urban sidewalks is a ten-foot gap for pedestrians to pass between the edge of sidewalk space and the nearest obstruction -- in this case, a sidewalk tree box. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has the discretion to reduce it to as much as six feet.

In this case, Klein said: "We'll be asking them to reduce it to nine."

Klein told the ANC they had already received the necessary separate permission from DC's liquor licensing authorities to serve alcohol outdoors.

A Commissioner brought up the possibility of installing outdoor security camera, sighting the May 2013 case of a man to robbed two people sitting at the sidewalk patio of Pizzoli's Pizzeria (1418 12th Street NW) in Logan Circle. The establishments outdoor security camera caught the robbery, which led to the arrest and convicting of the hold-up man -- see SALM blog post of September 23, 2013.

"I'm sure [the owner] will consider it," Klein said.

The Commissioner said such camera were not expensive.

"Yes, they're only like about $200 apiece," said ANC6E chair Marge Maceda (Commissioner for district 05).

Commissioner Alexander Padro (district 01) made the motion to endorse the outdoor space request with the provision that security cameras be installed. The motion was approved unanimously, with two abstentions.

Beau Thai Shaw is in Padro's ANC district.

The initial liquor license for the Shaw branch of Beau Thai was the subject of an SALM blog post of September 18, 2014.

(Photo credit: the blog BadWolfDC. Used by permission.)

Columbia Heights Property Tries to "Make It Legal"

CORRECTION: When first posted, the committee chair was identified as Patrick Brown. His name is Patrick Nelson. Apologies for the error.

2807 Sherman Avenue NW, a property with a colorful recent history, will get a facelift if the new owners can get some zoning relief from DC's Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). So one owner and his attorney were before a committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street on February 23 to ask the committee to recommend support to the full ANC.

2807 Sherman Ave (to right of streetlight) in May 2014

"This has been a nuisance property for a long time," said Patrick Brown Nelson, chair of
ANC1B's Zoning, Preservation & Development Committee.

"There were like 20 people [living] there," said Brown Nelson of the building which is located between Girard Street and Gresham Place.

On-line records (see .pdf here) show the then-owner of 2807 Sherman Avenue was arrested in August 2012 for assault on a police officer with a dangerous weapon. On the same day, other people at the same address were arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use.

In the early morning hours of January 25, 2013, a fire broke out in the floor and walls of 2807 Sherman Avenue, according to a tweet from the DC Firefighters Association. A post with photographs on the District of Columbia Fire Department website (about half-way down the page here) says the fire broke out between the second and third floors and seven residents were "forced into the freezing pre-dawn cold" by the fire.

New owners

The house was sold in June 2014 for $417,000, according to online records. One of the current owners, Matt Medvene, appeared before the ZPD Committee with attorney Martin Sullivan of Sullivan & Barros.

The new owners did not get off to a good start with the building. Medvene told the committee he originally hired an architect from Baltimore who was unfamiliar with DC regulations. While Medvene was out of the country, he said, the architect went ahead with demolition and started building without city permission. This unauthorized construction included a structure on the top of the building, which is still now half-completed. The unauthorized work was stopped and Medvene had to pay three fines totalling several thousand dollars, he said, before he could start the process of making the up and out expansion legal. Medvene blamed the Baltimore-based architect for the illegal construction, and said he is no longer working with him.

"We're making it legal," he said.

The owner said he planned to have a two-unit building, and live in one of the units. The building is already a two-unit building, he said, "with separate addresses".

Although the building will be taller, it does not require zoning relief for height, as it is still within what the owner can do "by right". In addition, it is not located in a historic district, so no review by DC historic preservation authorities will be necessary. Finally, the neighboring house to the north is already taller than 2807 Sherman Street (see photo). Medvene said this neighbor has indicated support for his expansion.

The building requires zoning relief for lot occupancy. It is already over the maximum lot occupancy for the zone -- 60% permitted, 70% existing. It is unclear how the building got that way. Medvene reported the previous owner had no documentation about whether he made alterations to the house.

Both committee members and the owner said they did not like the color of the house.

"It looks kind of putrid," the owner said. "We'll be repainting. We're looking at a cool gray."

Committee decision

The committee voted, 5-1, to support the request for zoning relief. The matter will probably be considered by the full ANC at its next regularly scheduled meeting on March 5, at 7pm, at a location to be determined.

The applicants told the committee their case was scheduled for a public hearing at the BZA on April 7.

The documents relating to this case can be accessed by going to the DC government's Interactive Zoning Information System and putting case number 18960 into the search bar.

This is the first meeting for ANC1B's Zoning, Preservation & Development Committee. It will take up most of the business formally handled by the ANC's Design Review Committee, which has been disbanded. The February 23 meeting was a make-up for a meeting that was originally scheduled for February 17, but then cancelled due to snow.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

Liquor License Revoked for Restaurant of "Convicted Felon"

DC's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABRA) has revoked the liquor license for El Sauce restaurant (1227 11th Street NW). The order was issued on February 11. ABRA also referred the case to the office of the DC Attorney General.

The order says the liquor licensees are Maria and Jose Carcamo. Maria Carcamo divorced her husband in 2008 and renounced all claim to the establishment in the divorce settlement.

Jose Carcamo has been convicted of a Class II felony, the order says. Therefore, under DC law, he cannot hold a liquor license.

However, the order said, the establishment was no longer being run by Carcamo. Instead, the establishment is being run by Blanca Rubia, who is not named on the liquor license.

In an February 19 email, John Fanning, Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle, said, "El Sauce has been a troubled business establishment for years in our neighborhood." Fanning (Commissioner for district 04) said problems over the years included a "crime scene regarding a homicide, a reported stabbing, numerous fights amongst the patrons, serving alcohol to intoxicated individuals and neighbors witnessing and reporting after hours operations."

El Sauce was the scene of a homicide in the early morning hours of March 27, 2011. The shooter was later sentenced to 18 years in jail.

This incident was not the only problem that it caused the neighborhood. At a May 23, 2013, ANC meeting, commissioners saw and discussed

a two-page long list of 23 incidents, including five assaults with a deadly weapon (including a brick and a head-butt) and an assault on police. In addition, there have been 11 fines for violations of various types and a long list of lesser offenses. ANC Commissioners reported witnessing fist fights and receiving reports both of harassment of women near the establishment and of operation at 4:30am, long after the licensed closing time.

ANC2F continued to press for action against El Sauce when it could, for example, when ABRA Director Fred Moosally came to address ANC2F's liquor-licensing affairs committee in September 2014.

In his recent email, Fanning said: "I believe the finds regarding El Sauce are a direct result from [the committee's] September meeting requesting that Director Fred Moosally to expedite enforcement inspections."

In an announcement unrelated to El Sauce, ANC2F will have the first meeting of the year of its Crime and Public Safety Committee on Thursday, February 26, at 7pm at the National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle -- enter on 14th Street). 

Community Impact Statement against Shaw Heroin Dealer

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw voted unanimously February 3 to send a community impact statement in the case of Thomas Butler, who has pleaded guilty to charges including possession with both intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.

Photo of DC Superior Court from its web site

The motion to send a community impact statement was made by Commissioner
Frank Wiggins (district 03). Wiggins said, at the time of his arrest, Butler had been carrying heroin, $10,000 in a bag, and more than one million dollars on his person. At the same time, Butler was in violation of a 2013 court order (resulting from an arrest for possession of a controlled substance) to stay away from the 1300 block of 5th Street in Shaw.

On January 13, Butler pleaded guilty to three felony counts, including those listed above. In return, two other felony counts will be dropped, as will two misdemeanor charges resulting from the 2013 arrest.

Butler will be sentenced by Associate Judge Juliet J. McKenna of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on March 6.

ANCs can file community impact statements detailing the negative effects of a criminal's activity in the community, in hope of getting a stiffer sentence. An example of a 2012 letter written by ANC6E against a convicted drug dealer is available here. 

The office of the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has an explanation of community impact statements half-way down this page.

See the record of the felony case against Butler by going to the DC Superior Court's search tool here and entering case number 2014 CF2 017465 in the search bar on the upper right of the page. The to-be-dismissed misdemeanor charges from an earlier incident can be seen through the same search tool by entering case number 2013 CMD 18687.

CORRECTED: Assaults by Staff at 14th and U Club Alleged at ANC1B Committee Meeting

CORRECTED: After publication, I received an email from one of the woman mentioned below with a list of corrections. As I result, I rewrote parts of this article. I have tried to indicate edits with strikethrough for deletions and italics for additions. Also, I am adding the text of the email at the end of the article.

Two women came before the liquor-licensing affairs committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street last night (January 21) to allege that they had been assaulted inside the dance club Tropicalia (2001 14th Street NW).

"He dragged me down to the floor," one woman said. "He slammed me to the wall trying to drag me out."

Tropicalia is downstairs from the Subway at 14th and U

Although both of the women identified themselves (and their attacker) by name at the public meeting, I am not printing any of the names out of an abundance of caution, even though one of the women specifically gave me permission to print her name. After the meeting ended, I asked permission from both of the women to write a story about their testimony. They both agreed without hesitation.

One of the victims identified herself as a 24-year-old woman. She went to Tropicalia on New Year's Eve in early December, but neglected to take identification. She was allowed into the club, but was marked with a black "X" on her hands to indicate that she could not drink in the club. Nevertheless, she managed to obtained a drink from a performer. When the staff member saw the woman with the drink, he told her to leave the club approached her. She attempted to talk to him, and put the drink down and apologized. The staff member then assaulted her without warning, in the manner quoted above, she told the meeting. She also said the incident took place in front of five witnesses, one of whom was punched in the face.

The other woman said her incident took place on New Year's Eve, and did not detail what happen to her at the club, but she said she was injured and had to go the hospital. She also said the incident took place in front of five many witnesses, two of whom gave statements to the police.

"It's hard enough for me to talk about this," said the second woman.

The woman said she was in the club and felt a man touch the small of her back. She told him not to touch her there. She told him to say "excuse me" when trying to get by, instead of touching. The man grabbed her, picked her up bodily, crushing her ribs while walking her around. He told the woman he could touch her wherever he wanted.

Both women have reported the incidents to the police and have police reports.

One of the women The 24-year-old woman said the owner of the club had called to apologize. The owner also said the employee would be removed. But when the woman went to Tropicalia to meet with the owner, she said, the owner was absent but her assailant was present. The assailant told her that he would not be losing his job, that he had never actually touched her, and there was no footage of the incident from security cameras.

She also told the committee the assailant said: "Bitch, I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm astounded and I'm shocked," said one committee member, himself a liquor licensee.

The same committee member told the women that they might wish to press the owner on the matter of security footage because, according to DC law, licensees were only obligated to hold onto security footage for 30 days. By the end of the month, the liquor licensee would be able to legally destroy the video of the New Year's Eve incident.

Members of the committee told the women that this matter was one to be brought before DC's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). They also advised the women to make sure that ABRA got a copy of the police reports. Committee Chair Nick Baumann said the incident would certainly come up when the liquor license came up for renewal in 2016, but there was a feeling at the meeting that it was a long time to wait.

"People need to be accountable for what they do," a committee member said.

Baumann said he would ask the licensee to come to the next meeting of the liquor-licensing affairs committee, scheduled for February 18. Would the women be willing to return and talk with owner in front of the committee?

They would, they said.

Committee members called up public records at the meeting which indicated that there had been an alleged assault at the club in 2014, but ABRA declined to take any action against the club in relation to the event.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

UPDATE: Below is the text of the email from one of the women, correcting the record:

quote

I would correct the following inaccuracies:

Woman #1

·       This occurred in early December
·       She did not buy a drink, the performer passed one to her
·       The staff member did not tell her to leave the club, he simply approached her
·       She put the drink down and said sorry before he assaulted her, without saying anything
·       At least 5 witnesses, one of whom was punched in the face
·       When she went back and was surprised he was not fired as the owner had promised, the security staff told her, “Bitch, I’m not going anywhere.”

Woman #2 (me)

·       31 years old
·       New Year’s Eve
·       I felt hands on the small of my back from a random person walking through the crowd. I told the man, “Don’t touch me there.” I told him he could say excuse me when trying to get by, instead of putting his hands on my body. He got aggressive, grabbed me, put me in a bear hug, and crushed my ribs while lifting me up and walking me around, telling me “I can touch you however I want.”
·       I only found out when I talked to the police that he was the head of security.
·       Many witnesses, 2 of whom were with me and have given statements to MPD
·       Owner called me to apologize, but this is disingenuous; he already knew about this particular staff member assaulting women, because he knew about what happened to woman #1.

end quote

Heritage India/The Zanzibar: DC "Will Permanently Ban" Entertainment, Promoters

DC's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board "will permanently ban" entertainment, including DJs, from the establishment known as the restaurant Heritage India during the day and at night as The Zanzibar or The New Zanizbar (1901 Pennsylvania Avenue NW), the Board said in an announcement on Friday, January 16. As part of the ban, the establishment will be forbidden from charging a cover, having live music, or engaging promoters.

The latest word from DC government

However, the establishment may still be able to re-gain its liquor license pending further deliberations by the ABC Board, the announcement said. This might allow the establishment to continue functioning as a conventional restaurant.

The decision to ban entertainment came in the wake of a January 3 incident where a patron was stabbed in a late-night melee.

At its regular monthly meeting on January 14, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle voted unanimously to send a letter to the ABC Board which urged the establishment be permanently shuttered.

"ANC2B believes this event indicates an emerging pattern of violence at this establishment," the letter said.

The letter recalls that, in November 2011, the establishment, operating at a different location in Dupont Circle, was the sight of a gunfight in which one man was killed and five wounded. The next month, the ABC Board cancelled the entertainment endorsement on the establishment's liquor license, ordered the establishment to close by midnight, and ordered a security plan.

The letter continues:

In the Spring of 2014, Heritage India approached ANC2B and requested changes to their negotiated settlement agreement to allow for entertainment and other late-night activities at the Pennsylvania Ave location. The ANC was willing to negotiate a new agreement with the owners and one was reached in May to allow for entertainment and promotion activities.

At the January 14 meeting, ANC2B Commissioner Stephanie Maltz recalled: "I spent a lot of time on this. They brought a very detailed security plan and hired a firm with a proven record in DC."

However, according to information given at the ANC meeting (citing a police report on the January 3 incident), when push came to shove, the staff did not follow the security plan. A Washington Post article on the melee said there were only four staff members on duty for "250 to 275" patrons, in violation of the security plan which mandated one guard for every 50 patrons. The Post article also says security camera footage shows club employees mopping up blood before the police had a chance to investigate, in spite of efforts of one of the victim's friends to wrestle the mop away to preserve the crime scene.

"They clearly didn't care," said Commissioner Patrick Kennedy, visiting ANC2B from neighboring ANC 2A/Foggy Bottom. "There is no remedy short of revocation."

In its announcement, the ABC Board said it had referred the case to the DC Attorney General's office to bring formal charges against Heritage India. If charges are brought, it may generate the need for further ABC Board hearings. The Board promised to announce any future hearings on its web site.

Columbia Heights Liquor Store Fined $8000, Closed 15 Days, For Serving Minors

Fairmont Liquors (2633 Sherman Avenue) has been fined $8000 and ordered to close for 15 days for selling alcohol to minors. The November 19th decision was announced and briefly discussed at the December 4 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street.

(Google Street View)

The announcement at the ANC meeting said the liquor would be closed for two weeks in December. However, the official document announcing the decision from DC's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) says "the Respondent's fifteen (15) suspension days shall begin on January 12, 2015 and end at midnight on January 28, 2015."
The liquor store has been a subject of brief discussion at several recent meetings of ANC1B's liquor licensing affairs committee. At the meeting neighbors claimed that the store was known as a place where students from nearby Howard University who had not yet turned 21 could buy alcohol.

The ABRA document notes the testimony of an Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, who said, on the day he observed underage liquor sales (August 24, 2013): "Most of the individuals in line had on Howard University sweatshirts and other university gear."

The MPD officer called the Howard University Police Department (HUPD) for assistance. From the ABRA findings of fact on the case:

While MPD and HUPD were standing outside the store, a white male patron exited the store and one of the HUPD officers called him by name. They then questioned the white male patron regarding his age, and he disclosed that he was 19 years old. The white male patron also produced identification, a Maine Driver's License, indicating that he was 19 years old. The white male patron also disclosed that he bought the beer and that he always buys his beer at the Respondent's establishment. [Citations of other documents, which occur at the end of each sentence, omitted.]

The owner of the store, Abel Gizachew, denied selling alcohol to the 19-year-old.

On January 24, 2014, according to the report, ABRA investigators responding to "numerous complaints regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages to under aged students from Howard University" observed the sale of alcohol to a man who, when confronted, could only produce a Howard University student ID to identify himself. The man turned out to be 20 years old.

When the investigators returned to the store and confronted Gizachew and other store employees, the document says, "many of the patrons started leaving the store without any purchases."

In response to this second incident, Gizachew said the underage customer in question had "could have used a fake ID".  The ABRA investigator said that the underage customer was in the investigator's site at all times and at no time was ID asked for.

The DC liquor licensing board voted 5-2 that Fairmont Liquor violated DC law on three of four charges connected with the two separate occasions of sales to minors. These three charges, taken together, added up to the $8000 in fines and 15 day suspension. Two members of the board who dissented from the ruling felt that Fairmont Liquor should also have been found guilty on the fourth charge. The fourth charge could have carried an additional penalty of $2000 and five additional days of closure.

"SketchFactor" Visits Logan Circle ANC

Daniel Herrington, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of SketchFactor, presented to Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle at its regular monthly meeting last night (September 10). Herrington said his presentation was done at the request on an ANC2F Commissioner.

Herrington tells the ANC about SketchFactor

SketchFactor is described on the support section of its website as "a navigation app that relies on crowdsourced experiences and public data. We're exclusively focused on improving city exploration on foot. SketchFactor empowers users to report sketchy experiences, read sketchy incidents, and get directions to where they need to go." At the meeting, Herrington described it as "user-driven and hyper-localized".

"You can define what you want and tell your story," Herrington said.

Herrington explained how the app worked and handed out paper screenshots of the app to the audience. He talked about the type of locations which might be appropriate to report on SketchFactor -- drawing examples from a report on prostitution on 11th Street NW made at the meeting moments before by a member of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Another example of a reportable location, according to Herrington, was an intersection where bicyclists feel threatened by drivers.

"What about intersections where bicyclists always run red lights?" an audience member asked.

Herrington agreed this could be reported on the app.

Users could upload and download stories, Herrington explained. They could also vote for or against stories, which would increase or decrease their prominence. Stories which users had tagged as offensive would be removed, he said.

Herrington said he had told his investors he hoped for 10,000 downloads from the Apple App Store after three months. He reached the goal in one day. After four days, he had 60,000 downloads.

SketchFactor was released on August 7 and has generated some strong opinions. "[N]ear universal howls of protest" was how the website The Awl put it. The Washington Post reported accusations of racism. Read a blog post rejecting the accusations that SketchFactor is racist here.

SketchFactor then got the type of publicity money can't buy when a TV crew from WUSA9 went to Petworth to report on the neighborhood's reaction to the app. While the crew was working, WUSA9's van was broken into and many thousands of dollars of equipment was stolen. See the WUSA9 report on the incident here.

The Apple version of Sketchfactor is available at the Apple App Store. Herrington said the Android version was being released for beta testing on September 30. The Android beta test version might be buggy, Herrington said, but urged members of the audience who were interested in beta testing the Android version to send him an email. Herrington's email address is daniel@sketchfactor.com.

Harrington said he had made this presentation by invitation, and he had no immediate plans for further presentations to ANCs. However, he seemed to be open to further invitations.

SketchFactor co-founder Allison McGuire was also present, but did not speak to the ANC.

Should Churches or Private Businesses Receive ANC Grant Money?

Martin Moulton, a Shaw community activist, is shopping an idea to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs). The idea is that ANC grant funds should be used to help local organizations -- especially churches and businesses -- install outward-facing security cameras on their buildings. The security camera footage could be of use to police when crimes take place in the vicinity.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So far, Moulton has attempted to interest ANC 2F/Logan Circle and 6E/Shaw in the idea. He has prepared a model grant form. But he cannot get the ANCs to commit to even considering the applications, because the grant application process is designed to benefit non-profit community groups and secular organizations only.

ANC2F Commissioner Peter Lallas (distrcit 01) brought up Moulton's proposal at the ANC's last regular monthly meeting on August 7. (Lallas is chair of ANC2F's Crime and Public Safety Committee.)

ANC grants are supposed to be for projects that produce a public benefit. It was agreed at the meeting there could be sufficient public benefit to security cameras that monitored public spaces, no matter where they were located.

However, ANC2F must first change its bylaws, because as presently written a church or a private business might not quality. The by-laws say that ANC2F "may approve grants only to citizens groups that are public in nature".

It was argued at the meeting that churches are public in nature, because anyone can walk into a church.

Gottlieb Simon of DC's Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions was present at the August 7 meeting. He confirmed the obvious fact that grant money could not be used to further religious activity. Outward-facing security cameras, however, were not a religious activity, so could be funded with ANC money, Simon said.

However, it was clear that private businesses could not, under any circumstances, qualify for a grant under the by-laws as they are currently written. Changing ANC2F's bylaws was discussed, but no proposal was put forward at the meeting.

Moulton told ANC2F he had not shopped the proposal to any area businesses yet, but would like to be in the position where he could.

ANC6E has also discussed this matter at a previous meeting but has not moved forward with a grant.

The discussion above is mentioned briefly in the summary of the meeting on ANC2F's web site here.

UPDATED: Lux Lounge Landlord to Terminate Lease after Shooting

UPDATE (July 2, 7pm): A tweet from D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) says Lux Lounge's liquor license was summarily suspended today.

Douglas Development, the landlord of 649 New York Avenue NW, will terminate the lease of Lux Lounge, it was announced at the meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Committee (ANC) 6E/Shaw last night (July 1). Lux Lounge was the site of a large-scale brawl that started inside the club and ended in a shooting. The shooting occured just outside the club after the brawlers were ejected at about 3:30am Saturday morning (June 29), according to a report in the Washington Times.

Screenshot of Lux Lounge Website

According to information disclosed at the ANC meeting, one person was shot in the melee, one was injured with a broken bottle, and one person was left unconscious.

After the incident, DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier invoked emergency police powers to order the club closed for 96 hours.

ANC6E Commissioner Rachello Nigro (district 04) said at the meeting that Douglas Development had given Lux Lounge the legally-required 120 days notice to vacate the property.

Dupont First ANC to Support Repeal of Prostitution Free Zones Amendment Act

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle has become the first ANC to publicly support the repeal of the Prostitution Free Zones Amendment Act of 2014. The ANC voted unanimously, with all nine Commissioners present, in favor of a resolution calling for the repeal at its regular monthly meeting on May 14.

David Grosso

Commissioners said Council Member David Grosso (I-At Large) had asked for the ANC's support of the repeal. Grosso introduced a bill that would repeal the Act in early April.

The resolution also "respectfully" asks D.C. City Council Member Jack Evans (D-Ward Two) to support the repeal of the act.

Jack Evans

The Prostitution Free Zones Amendment Act was passed by the City Council in its current form in 2012. Its chief proponent is Council Member Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), in response to concerns about chronic prostitution in her district. D.C.'s Office of the Attorney General and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) have both expressed the opinion that the law is probably unconstitutional. ANC Commissioners at the May 14 meeting said they were in favor of "removing a law that's not being enforced".

Under the law, the Chief of Police may declare an area a Prostitution Free Zone for a period of up to 20 days. In such a Zone, police have enhanced and somewhat vague powers of search and arrest. For example (according to a police spokesperson), a person found loitering in a Prostitution Free Zone in possession of two or more condoms could be arrested. They could not be arrested in such a circumstance outside a Prostitution Free Zone.

ANC2B Commissioner Abigail Nichols (district 05) said the law raises "the potential for policing of a discriminatory and abusive nature".

The resolution itself states: "Prostitution Free Zones do not reduce prostitution and further marginalize sex workers, low income people of color, transgender people, lesbians and gays, and the homeless..."

This is the second resolution ANC2B has passed in opposition to the Prostitution Free Zone Amendment Act. The first resolution was in 2012.

Read an April 3 op-ed from the Washington Blade by Council Member Grosso advocating repeal of the Act here.

The resolution supporting repeal of the bill was championed by now-former ANC2B Commissioner Kevin O'Connor (district 02). O'Connor resigned effective at the end of the May 14 meeting. He is moving to Petworth.

(photo credit: from the web sites of the respective council members)

March 7 Shooting in Shaw: MPD Youtube Video of Persons of Interest

D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has released a video on Youtube showing two persons of interest possibly connected with a March 7 shooting at Fifth and Q Streets NW. At a community meeting last night (March 20) at KIPP DC Public Charter School (421 P Street) in Shaw, the MPD shared information about the case and urged members of the public to come forward to aid the investigation, particularly people who were walking around the neighborhood at the time immediate prior to the shooting at 8:45pm.

The video, from the night of the shooting, is below. If you have trouble viewing it, find it in the MPD Youtube channel here.

Detective Scott Guthrie of the MPD reviewed the public facts of the case. Two 22-year-old men were shot at the intersection of Fifth and Q Streets. The victims survived and were released. The victims did not reveal the identity of the shooters. Guthrie said the two victims do not reside in the area but "have ties". Police are looking for a slim African-American, between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, who was seen fleeing the scene, in connection with the case.

There have been no related incidents since then, Guthrie said. As a result of increased police presence in the area in the days following the shooting, a man was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, but there is no evidence this arrest has any connection to the shooting.

The police took questions from the roughly 30 members of the audience. There were many details the police said they could not reveal, for example, placement of video cameras, number of shell casings found, and possible criminal backgrounds of the victims.

Someone asked if the shooting was gang-related.

"Everybody jumps to that conclusion," Detective Kenneth Arrington said. "But we haven't established any connection."

Some people complained about local policing. One person said police can be "very disrespectful".

"The residents here do not trust the police," said another.

Toward the end of the meeting, mayoral candidate and D.C. City Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward Six) appeared. Wells did not comment or ask the police any questions. 

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the MPD at 202-727-9099 or via the MPD text tip line 50411.

Raising "the Tommy Wells flag" at the Ward Six Candidates Forum

Charles Allen and Darrel Thompson, candidates in the April 1 Democratic primary to replace mayoral candidate Tommy Wells as Ward Six representative, met for a forum in the basement of Watha T. Daniel Library (1630 7th Street NW) in Shaw on March 12. The forum was moderated by Andrew Lightman, publisher of MidCity DC and other hyperlocal news outlets.

The candidates were urged to take off their ties.

The candidates agreed on many things. For example:

• There is an ethical crisis in DC government.
• They support new legislation on campaign contributions.
• They want to improve public transit in Ward Six.
• They will not seek outside employment if elected to the DC Council.
• They are against neighborhood preferences for charter schools.

"These wonderful men are very well behaved," Lightman said at the beginning of the evening. Throughout the forum, the candidates spoke respectfully to one another and the general tone remained civil.

Tommy Wells: absent but present

The most discordant note was when Thompson accused Allen of either adopting or rejecting the legacy of Tommy Wells according to political expediency. Allen has been Wells' Chief of Staff for more than six years.

"You can't raise the Tommy Wells flag when it helps you and lower it when it doesn't," Thompson said.

Thompson cited two instances when he thought Wells was insufficiently attentive to his constituents. The first involved the former Shaw-Southwest Circulator Bus, which discontinued service in 2011.

"It got yanked largely at your mentor's [i.e., Wells'] request," Lightman said.

Allen said he would fight for its reinstatement.

"You were there when we lost Circulator in the first place," Thompson said.

The second involved a question about increased demand for "walk-to" neighborhood schools.

"That's a difference between Tommy and me," Allen said. "I'll be a stronger fighter for neighborhood schools."

Thompson said Allen should have started fighting sooner as Chief of Staff.

"You have the ear of your boss," Thompson said.

The Culture of Corruption

The forum took place at the same time as Mayor Gray's State of the District address, and Gray's recent problems were a subject for discussion. In answer to a question about legislative initiatives to curb corruption, Allen suggested a complete elimination of corporate contributions.

As it stands now, a limited liability corporation (LLC) in D.C. can donate to a campaign, so people can and have anonymously established multiple LLCs to enable large but quiet donations.

"When someone is able to give once as themselves, and once for each corporation, that's wrong," Allen said.

At another point in the evening, Allen said: "The way you make sure you have accountability is that you have one name on the check."

Thompson did not come out for elimination of corporate contributions, but instead said "the [D.C. city] council should have some say so."

"We should hold corporations responsible," Thompson said.

Later, Thompson said, "We need new fixes and legislation. This comes back to integrity and character."

Increased Nightclub Noise Enforcement to Start Thursday

A task force from a variety of D.C. agencies will begin more aggressive enforcement of noise control laws starting this Thursday evening, March 13.

ABC Board Chair Ruthanne Miller speaks about the plan

The Crime and Public Safety Commission of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle held an information session about the initiative last night (March 10) at the Embassy Row Hotel (1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW).

"There will be increased noise checks starting this Thursday in many areas, including this neighborhood [i.e., Dupont Circle]", said Fred Moosally, Director of D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). "Business will not be informed beforehand."

The task force

The task force will respond to complaints the same night, Moosally said. Those found in violation of D.C. noise ordinances will receive a written warning for a first offense. A second violation would be result in a $1000 fine. A third violation would result in a $2000 fine. After that, violators who are holders of liquor licenses may be in danger of losing that license.

The task force will operate from Thursday to Sunday evenings only, from 10pm until 3am. Moosally said liquor licensees will receive a letter reminding them of the increased enforcement. The letter will also be posted on the ABRA web site.

ABRA is also working on a fact sheet to explain D.C.'s noise laws in plain English.

Moosally also announced a hotline for noise complaints. The number is 202-329-6347. This hotline will work outside of normal business hours only, starting Thursday.

Enforcement problems 

ANC2B Commissioner Mike Silverstein (district 06) said there was a problem of "one hand of the government not knowing what the other is doing."

Silverstein is also a member of D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board.

The enforcement of noise ordinances is hampered by a confusing patchwork of jurisdictions. For example, if noise from a nightclub comes from amplified music from a nightclub, it is an enforcement problem for ABRA. However, if the noise comes from heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, it is an enforcement problem for the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). People yelling and screaming on the streets, or excessive noise from private homes, is a matter for the police. This is why a multi-agency task force is necessary.

The target of the task force will be liquor licensees and other businesses that are open late, not private individuals or homes, Moosally said.

A member of the audience asked: "How long will this go on?"

"We'll have to see how it goes," Moosally replied.

A group of nightclub owners came out to make sure their case was heard. They were reassured they would not be victimized by the process.

"The hospitality industry generates $400 million in taxes," Silverstein said. "It is the second biggest industry in D.C. after the government.... Maybe the third biggest, after corruption."

"We respect the residents but we also respect the business people," said Sherry Kimball Sherri Kimbel, Constituent Services Director for D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward Two).

Correction: The director of ABRA is Fred Moosally, not Mousally. Apologies for the error.

ANC2F to Make Statement on Drug Case

For the second time in six months, Roger Kemp, a community prosector at the US Attorney's office, has appeared before Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle. At ANC2F's regular monthly meeting, March 6, Kemp asked the ANC to write a community impact statement on a drug-dealing case to come up for sentencing in March.

ANC2F voted unanimously to author a community impact statement. Commissioner Peter Lallas (district 01) will write it. Lallas is the chair of ANC2F's Crime and Public Safety Committee.

Previous statement effective

Kemp previously asked the ANC to write a community impact statement at its meeting of November 6, 2013 -- see SALM blog post of November 8, 2013.

At the November 2013 meeting, Kemp asked ANC2F to weigh in with a community impact statement in the case of Jahlani Brown, who pled guilty to first-degree sexual abuse. In September 2013, Brown raped a woman who worked at an apartment building in Shaw.

Kemp reported he had received community impact statements on this case both from ANC2F and neighboring ANCs. The court noted the impact statements, Kemp said, and the judge "imposed a significant sentence."

"The sentence was higher than guidelines called for," Kemp said. "The victim was very happy."

"Community impact statements really do make a difference," said Assistant US Attorney Erin Lyons at the meeting.

U.S. vs Peoples, Long, and Green

Lyons and fellow Assistant US Attorney Kate Rakoczy asked the ANC to write a community impact statement on the cases of Antonio Peoples, Kevin Long, and Isaiah Green. They were arrested on drug-related and armed robbery charges as a result of a "long-term, in-depth drug investigation" in the summer of 2012. All three initially pleaded innocent but recently changed their pleas to guilty.

Peoples, Long, and Green were part of a "pretty large group of guys" who operated in the Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments, an affordable housing complex located on 7th and 8th Street NW between R and S Streets in Shaw. They will plead guilty to drug conspiracy charges, which may in this case carry stiffer charges because some of the activity took place in a designated drug-free zone near Grover Cleveland Elementary School (1825 8th Street NW). Peoples is also connected to a homicide case that is being tried separately.

Rakoczy urged all present not to think of drug dealing as a victimless crime.

"They're not victimless crimes because all of you, all of us, are victims," she said. 

ANC 6E/Shaw has already submitted a community impact statement in the case of Peoples and Green. It is available here.

You can view the DC Court records of Peoples, Long, and Green at court search page here. You can search by their full names, or enter the following case numbers into the "case number search" tool on the right:

Peoples: 2013 CF2 001589
Long: 2012 CF2 001592
Green: 2013 CF2 016141

There is a good explanation of community impact statements about half-way down this page from the US Attorney's Office.

ANC1B Chooses New Committee Chairs

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street chose new chairs for its committees at its regular monthly meeting of February 7.

The meeting gets started

ANC1B has five committees: Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Design Review, Grants, Public Safety, and Transportation. In 2013, four of the five chairs were also ANC1B Commissioners. In 2014, only one will be. At the February 7 meeting, Commissioners said they would still be active in committees, even if they are not chairing them.

Nick Baumann will be chair of the ABC Committee, which reviews liquor licenses and related issues. Baumann is already a member of the ABC Committee.

Baumann's day job is Senior Editor at Mother Jones magazine. He has also written for The Economist, The Atlantic, and other publications. Last year, he wrote some posts about the proposed U Street liquor license moratorium on his blog.

Also nominated for chair of the ABC Committee was Lela Winston, who eventually was chosen as chair of the Design Review Committee (see below).

The voting:

For Baumann: Commissioners Marc Morgan (district 01), Jeremy Leffler (district 02), Ricardo Reinoso (district 05), Dyana Forester (district 06), Juan Lopez (district 07), Emily Washington (district 08), James Turner (district 09), and Zahra Jilani (district 12)
For Winston: Commissioners Tony Norman (district 10) and E. Gail Anderson-Holness (district 11)
Absent from the meeting and all votes: Commissioners Deborah Thomas (district 02) and Sedrick Muhammed (district 03)

Baumann replaces Commissioner Leffler, who proposed Baumann for the job.

Lela Winston will be chair of the Design Review Committee, which often reviews requests to expand, renovate, or alter commercial and residential properties. Winston is already a member of the committee. She is a freelance journalist, media consultant, and founder of Winston Media Concepts.

All ANC1B Commissioners voted for Winston with the exception of Commissioner Reinoso. Reinoso voted for an absent community member whom he had nominated. I did not catch the community member's name.

Winston was nominated by Commissioner Anderson-Holness, and replaces Commissioner Norman.

Jennie Nevin will be chair of the Grants Committee.

She has done this job before -- in 2012, according to an online document. She was approved by acclamation.

Nevin replaces Commissioner E. Gail Anderson-Holness.

Commissioner Sedrick Muhammed will remain chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Two members of the community were also nominated to chair the committee. One of them was Winston (see above), the other identified herself as Jessica Rucker. The voting was confused. Commissioners Leffler, Lopez, Norman, and Anderson-Holness voted for Muhammed. The other candidates split the remaining vote.

Ben Klemens will remain chair of the Transportation Committee.

Klemens is a statistician at US Census Bureau, according to his LinkedIn Profile. He is also the author of three books. He has a Wikipedia page.

Klemens received the votes of all ANC Commissioners except Reinoso, who voted for the same absent community member he had once again nominated.