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Arena "Brothel" Rotisserie (521 G St NW) Construction And Other Hot Info!

Posted by gpliving
March 26, 2007

Arena Rotisserie (corner of 6th and G St NW) has what looks like plastic sheeting on it’s windows. The corner restaurant space has been vacant for quite awhile.

This blogger observed workers leaving the restaurant entrance on Sunday March 18, so there is definitely some kind of construction going on. We can’t find any DCRA building permits for the address, so unless the construction is very minor, it may be illegal.

But, that’s not the half of it..

While researching the “521 G St” address, we ran into more than we bargained for. We quickly discovered that the 2nd floor of the Arena Rotisserie building was a “full-service” massage parlor. And by full-service, we mean that $160 gets you the full brothel experience. The entrance to the 2nd floor can be seen in the pic (the red door on the left side of the building – with a buzzer next to the door handle).

We really really wanted to post this info on the blog last Monday, but instead we contacted MPD and let them work their magic before this info became too public. This morning, just 1 week later, MPD 1D Commander Groomes sent this message to the 1D listserv:

    I received numerous complaints on the illegal massage parlor -prostitution center – 521 G ST NW – just to let you know I forwarded this info again to Major Narcotics Section and they reported last week they did another serarch [sic] warrant and were able to arrest the female owner and seized thousands of dollars for running an illegal establishment -this is fourth time MPD has addressed this parlor — have forwarded this again to DCRA to Revoke the business license once and for all

We think a congratulations is in order for our MPD!

Related posts:

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  3. Construction Stories
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Comments
Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 11:26 am

Wow, nice work gpliving!

Comment by RR 446 on March 26, 2007 @ 1:08 pm

excellent work by everybody and THANK YOU!

Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 1:12 pm

Didn’t they used to run ads in the WPost Sports section?

Comment by HJ on March 26, 2007 @ 2:44 pm

Now, where am i gonna go?!

Comment by rr 446 on March 26, 2007 @ 4:40 pm

try wisconsin avenue in Burleith near Whole Foods…friends tell me there’s a massage parlor around the corner from starbucks. good luck!

Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 5:04 pm

That brothel has been there on and off for some time. I remember about a year or so ago some friends and I were eating outside at kanyala and watching people go in there every 5 minutes. Supposedly it had been shut down before (according to a city paper blurb). Also there’s supposedly another one on the 600 block off the alley that connects H and I streets, though I can’t vouch for that. And then there’s the one next to the ywca.

Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 5:46 pm

Where’s the brothel next to the YWCA?! I hope you don’t mean the Mather Building.

Comment by gpliving on March 26, 2007 @ 5:56 pm

Anon: 617 K – yes, basement of the auto shop.. but I didn’t see anything about the ywca. There’s over 10 other “massage parlors” throughout DC.

Amazing what you can find out on the internet.

While we realize that it’s impossible to stomp out every prostitution establishment, we can at least remove one that’s next to so many residential buildings.

Comment by CityLiving on March 26, 2007 @ 8:42 pm

It took some time for the MPD to stop this, but they finally did. DCRA, to their credit, knew about this and was taking this on to stop this– sort of like the IRS finally nabbing Al Capone since the FBI couldn’t seem to get the goods on him.

Commander Groomes — the first female commander in MPD history (DC still has a lot of progress to make, wouldn’t you agree?) — took a little while to finally nail the madame, but did it. I can’t help but think that this has something to do with the new direction that Mayor Fenty is bringing to the city. Acting police chief Cathy Lanier is making her mark.

Kudos to the MPD, DCRA and Fenty.

Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 9:35 pm

Commander Groomes may have been the first Commander, but not the only. I know there was at least one other, Commander Peacock, because I was in one of her PSAs. That was her maiden name, and I forget her married name, but she was transferred to training after too many complaints from District 3 residents.

Comment by CityLiving on March 26, 2007 @ 10:15 pm

Anon, actually, what I meant was that Groomes was the first female commander in 1D history. Acting chief Lanier is a commander also (4D)and was before Groomes, I think.

With Lanier as acting chief, that leaves Groomes as the only female commander right now. I wonder how many other females, besides Groomes, Lanier and Peacock, there have been?

If Lanier lands the chief job permanently, I would expect to see more capable women promoted to top jobs.

Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 10:34 pm

Commander Groomes did not come in with the Fenty machine, she has been doing a lot of good work during Mayor Williams time in office.

Comment by Anonymous on March 26, 2007 @ 11:12 pm

BOOOOOO!!!! oh come on, let us single bachlors have some fun ;-) … first no groccery store, now this – geez, what’s happening here?

Comment by milania on March 27, 2007 @ 1:52 pm

BOOOOO:
You still have Hooter’s! :-)

Milania Ucci

Comment by Anonymous on March 27, 2007 @ 6:00 pm

Another victory for the nanny state. Now on to trans fat!

Comment by pqresident on March 27, 2007 @ 7:07 pm

I think that’s where the saying “Whatever happens in the Penn Quarter, stays in the Penn Quarter” comes from.

Comment by Anonymous on March 29, 2007 @ 10:58 am

Gotta love it. I can’t wait for your crusade against jaywalking and other victimless crimes. Oh, don’t forget all the escort services in DC. Oops…I forgot. Those are for rich people and politicians so they are ok.

Comment by gpliving on March 29, 2007 @ 11:02 am

Anon: the brothel is in a residential area and actually abuts a 7 unit condo building.

Why don’t you invite the brothel to relocate next to the front door of your home?

Comment by Anonymous on March 29, 2007 @ 1:01 pm

Did any of the johns actually bother anyone? Or, let’s look at some other things, was there loitering? Noise at all hours of the night? Maybe even parking spaces being taken up? How about people getting the address wrong? Any break-ins by these sex-crazed lunatics?

No? But I guess it was just a matter of time, huh? Might as well shut down all the bars too–people drinking are huge dangers too! Oh, and let’s shut down the churches too—do I need to remind you that MANY ex-cons “find jesus” and it’s just a matter of time until they are back to their murdering raping robbing ways! And what’s up with the lack of speed bumps around here? They should be on every road, every 50 feet.

Nanny state forever!

Comment by gpliving on March 29, 2007 @ 1:09 pm

Anon: Nice rationalizations.. And yes, there has been a gun arrest on the premises as well as 2 other raids on the business in the past.. not to mention a stabbing in the back alley last year.

You seem to forget that prostitution is illegal in DC. Spend your energy fighting to change the law if you’re really that passionate about brothels.

Comment by rr 446 on March 29, 2007 @ 1:17 pm

Anon john:

there is a sexual orientation license in DC, did the massage parlor have one?

there’s your answer,and that’s why it was shut down.

Comment by Anonymous on March 29, 2007 @ 2:20 pm

Brothels are notorious for trafficking in human slaves, espcially in the Northeast. So, if you still believe in slavery, maybe you should support the unregulated brothels. Next time you go, think maybe it is your mother, wife or sister held there against their will just to satisfy your selfish needs. There should be an area for licensed brothels IMHO. They can pay taxes like every other business – I don’t think it is fair to have a tax-free sex business! I also don’t want my public health care going to johns and prostitutes with STDs when something like that is avoidable. I am also sure the johns are not from the neighborhood – how many are construction workers from out of state who come here to get jobs (and get paid very well) AND promote illegal prostition.

Comment by Anonymous on March 30, 2007 @ 2:05 pm

I talked to someone who knows these massage parlors very well and he even married one of the attendants! (Yes, it lasted barely a year).
The attendants are not sex slaves but it makes great moral-crusader banter to say that all massage parlors are full of slaves. I think it allows feminists to blame the whole problem on men.
And that’s not to say that the sex slavery problem does not exist. Most of them are however not citizens.

Comment by Anonymous on March 30, 2007 @ 10:48 pm

Hey Anon,

I did not realize we should only care about human slaves if they are American citizens.

For everyone’s sake, let’s legalize prostitution and clean things up!

Comment by Anonymous on March 31, 2007 @ 8:01 am

Why not legalize it? It’s like locking your car/house and if someone wants something inside bad enough there going to get it! This would clean it up generate more revenue. We’re still selling alcohol on every corner cigarettes in every store ask your shelf how many people literally die from these things. Drug dealers in our children’s schools. Homeless people dying on the street. We have people crossing our borders by the thousands per day. Personally I just think there’s other things that we could be concentrating on. Yes I’m one of the people that visits these places. There are some bad stories as in all life but overall these women are the cleanest people I’ve ever seen. I will bet the bank that the prostitutes that walk K&L Street NW are more involved in drug activity and STD carriers than any of these massage parlor women. Sex is something that’s going to happen in my honest opinion you’re not going to stop it just like alcohol cigarettes and drug use. If you’re reading this I can only imagine your thoughts for the record lets just say I don’t drink alcohol, smoke, or do drug! These are things that will kill me! Can you say that, he who lives in a glass house should not throw stones. The point is many people do many different things when I walk outside of my office holding my breath at lunchtime and I have to walk through the clouded smoke filled breezeway area that literally smells like an ashtray I merely smile and say hello how are you today? This is something you want to do enjoy your shelf have fun doing it YOU ENJOY IT.

Comment by Anonymous on April 1, 2007 @ 9:44 pm

Hey Anonymous,

Do you realize that legalizing it means you would be allowed to visit prostitutes – it would mean it is not against the law for both you and for the prostitutes? It would also mean no more street walkers. I think a lot of your argument is actually supporting the idea of legalizing it.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

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