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.

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.

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.

ANC Crime Statements on the Increase?

Following the apparent success of a initiative by Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle, the use of ANC-drafted community impact statements may be on the rise, with the US Attorney's office asking another ANC this week to make statements on three other cases.

Community impact statements are filed by ANCs and detail the effects of a convicted criminal's activity on the community and urge that the criminal receive a stringent sentence.

Dupont smash-and-grab man gets three years with ANC help

A report on the website of ANC2B Commissioner Kishan Putta (district 04) states that Gregory Teal, a man arrested over 40 times for theft from automobiles, has been sentenced to three years in prison. The sentencing occurred after ANC2B filed a community impact statement requesting Teal receive a sentence of 2 - 3 years. Previously, Teal had never received prison sentences of more than 90 days.

Lanier addresses ANC2F October 2

Putta reports he received thanks from DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

"This is a prime example how well we do when we work as a team," Lanier wrote.

Assistant Chief of Police Cathy Diane Groomes wrote to credit the ANC's statement for the unusually long sentence.

"[W]e are so happy that community came out to support this effort … truly it resulted in the sentence issued," Groomes wrote in an email.

See the October 21 SALM blog post for more on the Teal case and the ANC statement.

Logan Circle ANC asked to weigh in on three cases

At its regular monthly meeting November 6, ANC 2F/Logan Circle voted unanimously to file community impact statements in three separate cases of local crime. The statements were requested by Roger Kemp, a community prosector at the US Attorney's office. Kemp sat through a long meeting about other matters before he had the opportunity to request the ANC's assistance.

The first case Kemp mentioned is that of Jahlani Brown, 21, who pled guilty to first-degree sexual abuse on October 25. The incident took place at the Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments (1730 7th Street NW), just north of the Shaw metro station.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice:

According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 17, 2013, at about 9 a.m., the victim reported to her office in the Shaw area of Northwest Washington and began preparing for her workday.  Brown, who was captured on video surveillance, entered the office and locked the door. He sexually assaulted, threatened, and robbed the victim before leaving the office.

Following the attack, the police released screenshots of Brown from the video surveillance footage. He was arrested two days later and was not released.

Brown will be sentenced on January 10, 2014, and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The second case involves Carlito Bailey and Rickey Watkins, both 22, who were convicted on October 11 of aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, and related firearms offenses, after a jury trial in D.C. Superior Court.
From a U.S. Department of Justice press release:

Johnson Avenue and R Street (photo credit below)

According to the government’s evidence, on the night of May 5, 2012, Bailey, Watkins, and a third unidentified shooter traveled to Northwest Washington armed with firearms.  The three men approached the intersection of Johnson Avenue and R Street NW, where they opened fire, shooting at least ten bullets into a block crowded with adults and children gathered to celebrate a birthday party.  One of the adults was shot several times in the legs. After firing the shots, the men fled on Johnson Avenue.

Bailey and Watkins were apprehended approximately 24 minutes after the shooting in a car with two firearms. One of the firearms was a ballistics match to six shell casings and a bullet from the crime scene, and a swab from the slide of that weapon yielded DNA that matched the DNA profile of Bailey.  Cell site data placed Watkins at the scene of the shooting.

Read another report about the incident here.

Bailey and Watkins are scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2013, by D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert I. Ritcher.

The third case is that of Gregory A. Cole. ANC2F Commissioner Peter Lallas (district 01) said at the meeting he had specificially requested this case be put on the agenda. Lallas described Cole as a crack dealer who operated on 14th Street, especially around R Street. This area is in Lallas's ANC district.

ANC2F's Crime and Public Safety Committee will draft the statements.

The full ANC is next scheduled to meet on December 4, 7pm, at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle).

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

(Photo credit: Borderstan, used by permission)

ANC1B Committee Protests Indulj Liquor License, Approves Many Others

The liquor-licensing affairs committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street will recommend a protest of an application by Indulj Restaurant and Lounge (1208 U Street NW) to renew their liquor license. The decision was taken at a meeting of ANC1B's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Committee last night, October 22.

Indulj in December 2012 (Luis Gomez Photos)

Commissioner Jeremy Leffler (district 02), chair of the committee, reported that, according to ANC1B's newly adopted guidelines on liquor license renewals, more than three liquor-license-related infractions by an applicant would cause the committee to debate protesting their license renewal application. Indulj had had five infractions related to their liquor license during the last three years.

Much of the discussion of Indulj centered around a December 3, 2012, incident where three men were shot outside the bar. The incident caused DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier to close Indulj down for several days. Indulj reopened, and DC liquor-licensing authorities took no further action against Indulj as a result of the shooting.

The committee voted unanimously to protest the liquor license renewal application until Commissioner Zahra Jilani (district 12) can discuss what additional steps, if any, Indulj has taken to modify the establishment's security plan. Indulj is located in Jilani's ANC district.

No representative of Indulj was present at the meeting.

It is the season for ANCs throughout the city to consider the renewal of tavern licenses. This means quite a bit of work for ANC1B. A long list of local restaurants and taverns received ANC support to liquor-license renewal with little or no debate at the same meeting. These included: Cafe Saint Ex, Bar Pilar, Mockingbird Hill, Twins Jazz, Ben's Next Door, and Dodge City, among others.

Applications for renewals by DC9 and Bohemian Caverns generated some discussion at the meeting, because, like Indulj, they had had more than three infractions in a three-year period. Also like Indulj, these clubs had had recent high-profile brushes with the law. Unlike Indulj, both DC9 and Bohemian Caverns sent someone to speak at the meeting.

The committee decided to support the renewal applications for these two establishments.

The recommendations made by the committee will come up for approval before the full ANC. The next scheduled meeting is November 7, at 7pm, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets).

Chief Lanier at ANC2F about Logan Circle Shootings

The community turned out to see Cathy Lanier, Chief of DC's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) talk about local crime at regularly-scheduled October monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle on October 2 at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle NW). 

Chief Lanier listens to her introduction

About recent shootings

Lanier announced there had been two arrests the previous evening in a stun gun robbery in Petworth. There have recently been a series of stun gun robberies in DC, including one in Logan Circle. Chief Lanier told the Washington Post the MPD did not know if the Petworth incident is tied to the other stun gun robberies.

Lanier reminded the audience that crime was down dramatically in the area, which was why the stun gun robberies got police attention.

There was little indication of progress on two other recent shooting incidents in the Logan Circle area. This was in spite of reported email assurances from the MPD more than ten days ago that the police "know who did this" and "were looking to make an arrest".

Lanier said the person shot during the September 12 incident on 14th Street was not cooperating with the police, which was making the investigation difficult. She also said there was a lot of misinformation "out there" about the shootings and there was "nothing to support these theories".

Community Q-and-A

During a question-and-answer session, a pastor of the Asbury Methodist Church (11th and K Streets) asked about prostitution and human trafficking in the neighborhood. In the subsequent discussion, it was said that prostitution seemed based on Internet advertising was now more common, as opposed to solicitation on the streets. Potential johns made appointments online and then met on street corners. The intersections of 5th and K, 12th and I, and 12th and M Streets were noted as frequently-used meeting spots.

An attendee from the 1400 block of R Street reported there was a lot of drug dealing and drinking on his block, and his car had been broken into twice this year. This is thought to be the work of a small group of juveniles. Some of these don't live in the neighborhood, but have friends who do. Others live in the neighborhood, so the police cannot use a "stay away order".

Another attendee from 13th and R complained that "follow through is lacking" in the case of the Logan Circle shootings. One witness saw the car and the shooter but was never interviewed by the MPD. Another woman, whose car windshield had been shattered by gunfire in the incident, had been asked three questions by the police, after which she had heard nothing.

Over 80 community members came to hear Lanier speak and listen to questions for about 40 minutes. All the seats were filled and people had to stand.

Lanier was introduced at the meeting by DC City Councilmember for Ward Two Jack Evans. Remarks by Evans to the meeting are the subject of a separate blog post.

Police Tell ANC2F about Logan Circle Shootings

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan was briefed last night (Wednesday, September 18) by the police about the recent shootings in the Logan Circle area. Detective Scott Guthrie of the Third District and other members of the DC's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) gave an account of their publicly-releasable information to ANC2F's Crime and Public Safety Committee. They also handled questions from ANC commissioners and members of the public.

Attendance up at public safety committee

First incident: 9/12, 14th and Riggs

Guthrie told the committee the first shooting occurred on September 12 at 8:53pm, near the corner of 14th Street and Riggs Place NW. Police are classifying it as an assault with a deadly weapon. There were multiple gunshots, and two vehicles were struck. A 45-year-old man was shot in the buttocks. The man has been interviewed but police cannot release details. There are no suspects or known motives. Police are seeking cooperative witnesses.

See a Washington Post report on this first incident here.

Second incident: 9/17, 13th and R

The second incident occurred at 7:22pm on September 17 on the 1700 block of 13th Street, at the corner of R Street. There were multiple gunshots but no victims. Two parked cars were hit by gunfire. One car had a windshield destroyed. The shooter, the intended target, and the motive are all unknown. Contrary to online rumors, it is not certain if the shooting was drive-by or by a pedestrian.

A revolver was recovered near the crime scene under a parked car. It is being sent for analysis to recover fingerprints and/or DNA.

This same revolver was being examined to see if this incident and the September 12th incident were connected. It will take about two weeks to get ballistics results.

There is no evidence that the second incident is gang-related, but it cannot be completely ruled out.

There is a nearby on-street video camera on 13th Street which may provide some useful information. A request to view video from the time of the incident has been made. The camera reportedly points away from area where the incident took place.

At the meeting, two members of the public reported their parked car had received dents and scrapes during the second incident. They believed the damage took place when the shooter stood behind the vehicle. It was unclear whether their vehicle had been photographed by the police already.

A resident of the 1400 block of P Street reported he had been in email contact with Third District Commander Jacob Kishter about the second incident. Kishter reportedly said "they had an idea who did this". Kishter also said the motive was a "neighborhood beef" and the police "were looking to make an arrest".

The MPD representatives at the meeting said they could not confirm this, but sometimes senior management has better information than lower-level police.

After the report, the meeting continued with a long discussion on community involvement to reduce gun crimes.

Attendance at the committee meeting was much higher than average due to the shootings.

ANC2F Commissioners leading the meeting were Peter Lallas (district 01) and Chris Linn (district 03).