Weekend F 10th Street Incident

off topic… did anybody hear the 7 to 10 ‘rapid booms’ last night around 2:30am, followed by screams (not sure if in shock, or ‘hey fireworks’, followed by several sirens…?) sounded like it originated around 7th and f?

#1 you may have heard shots near Platinum Club. Looks like 3 bullet holes to welcome the Peruvian Sweater store into the neighborhood…

From NBC4 website:

2 Shot In Northwest

POSTED: 12:22 pm EDT March 15, 2008
UPDATED: 5:58 pm EDT March 15, 2008

WASHINGTON — Police are looking for the gunman who opened fire at a crowd in Northwest Washington early Saturday, injuring two.

Police said a black car drove by the group at 10th Street between E and F streets in Chinatown about 2:30 a.m. and someone in the car began firing.

When officers arrived, they found two victims with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to Howard University Hospital, where they were listed in serious condition.
Police said it appears the shooting stems from an earlier fight at Platinum, a nearby nightclub. The club’s windows were boarded up Saturday because they had been shot out.”

Noone seems to be responsible in MPD for removing blood from sidewalk in front of that block.

While its virtually impossible for a club to get closed down in DC Platinum is treading on pretty thin ice on a number of fronts.

1) They are involved in a protracted hearing with ABC related to a number of alleged fights over the last 2 years between their security staff and customers. The next public hearing on this is March 19th.

2) Their liquor license is up for renewal and is being vigorously protested by a few community groups.

3).This most recent shooting incident.
Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

right after waking up from the noise of the shooting, we looked out our window at Mather Studios (which backs up to Platinum). i could hear announcements coming from inside the club over their loudspeaker and also heard commands coming from a hand-held walkie talkie. the guy with the walkie-talkie was not responding to it though…..he was busy getting busy with a blonde girl in the alley behind a dumpster. interesting.

i find it odd that we watched the local news the next morning and didn’t hear anything about it. i also searched the post and didn’t see anything there either. did i miss the coverage or was it some reason not reported?

be careful out there folks…

this just in…. near MT’s….

WASHINGTON — Police are looking for the gunman who opened fire at a crowd in Northwest Washington early Saturday, injuring two.

Police said a black car drove by the group at 10th Street between E and F streets in Chinatown about 2:30 a.m. and someone in the car began firing.

When officers arrived, they found two victims with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to Howard University Hospital, where they were listed in serious condition.

Police said it appears the shooting stems from an earlier fight at Platinum, a nearby nightclub. The club’s windows were boarded up Saturday because they had been shot out.

A few points about the shootings:

(1) from the News 8 website:
“According to police, two adult black males were shot in a drive-by shooting at 10th and F Streets, NW.

One of the men was shot in the leg and did not suffer live-threatening injuries. The second victim was shot in the upper body and was transported in serious condition.

Both were taken to Howard University Hospital.

Police on the scene say that multiple gun shots were fired and the suspects fled in a dark vehicle.”

(2) I also believe that there was a totally separate incident at 7th and G around 12:15am that same evening. I was standing outside of Chophouse when I heard the bangs, and shortly thereafter, that entire intersection was shut down with multiple ambulances and squad cars. I wasn’t sure if it was a shooting or a pedestrian being hit by a car, but I decided I wasn’t going to play Inspector Gadget that night either. So, it is very very possible that there were two shootings within two blocks and within two hours of one another.

(3) From my personal perspective, I can only hope that recent incidents such as these are mentioned next week at SCOTUS when the District tries to make their played out argument that outlawing guns makes the city safer. The facts prove otherwise. The antecdotes prove otherwise. Hopefully, the Justices will nail their ass to the wall on this argument. Not until we can shoot these _______________ dead will the criminal element wise up and think twice before they pull this stuff.

(4) It is absolutely embarrasing that the capital of the free world is so dysfunctional, disorganized, and half-assed that it cannot get even a slight handle on its major crime problem everywhere in this city.

The early Saturday morning traffic reports (between 4AM and 5AM) reported that the streets were closed in that area due to shots being fired.

It was in the Post today on page C3 right next to the St. Patrick’s day parade route. They summed it up in 3 sentences, which unfortunately made no mention of the connection with Platinum.

A lot of the police presence in our area is gone noce the evening shift is over around 11 pm. Hopefully they wil reinforce the areas until closing time for the clubs and bars. MPD – do you hear me?

There are several steps the city can take to more effectively address crime in our neighborhoods. The March edition of The Intowner includes some of my proposals. http://caryforcouncil.org/campaign/media/blogs/leadership/IntownerCrimeLetter.doc

Cary,

The Intowner omits one of the most helpful solutions: vote Jack “Do Nothing” Evans out of office.

Of course, it would be a little awkward for the bulletin to have that in there. Although, it would be a good step in the right direction. From our council member, much more is needed than just showing up for a community meeting after several instances of gunfire. Some of the residents in DC may be just fine with talk and promises, but I think we can do better in Penn Quarter.

I completely agree with number 9. It seems the greatest need for police on the streets is when these clubs begin to close.

I have witnessed many “disagreements’ on “G” street along the side of the Building museum, and in the alley way between 5th and 6th in the same area, where they all seem to hang out. The fights, arguing and screeming between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. are a constant on Friday and Saturday nights. The police are never around.

Re: 9 & 12, Interestingly, Platinum used to pay into the “Club Zone” patrol to fund overtime for officers to be stationed in front of the club on Fri, Sat & Sun, but recently they stopped doing that for all except Sunday nights when they are the only thing open in the area. This may be why you see less police presence in this particular area (at least on Friday and Saturday nights)

Oh Good. Shootings. Let’s hope that this is an isolated incident.

Also, I think we need to start demanding some answers from MPDC and the City Council and not relying on local news agencies and a blog to keep us informed about police presence in our neighborhood. The reality is that PQ is now as residential as it is commercial and we need to feel safe in our neighborhood.

And I wouldn’t hold my breath about getting the club closed. Anyone who watches the news on a regular basis knows that there are clubs that create far more trouble and still remain open.

your police district has a yahoo group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MPD-1D/

very helpful for getting updates, feedback & info..

Thanks for the insight, LiveandWorkinPQ.

pqgirl, I must be a realist and say that there are likely to be more shootings before there are less. Especially as the weather gets warmer. There has been so much violence in Shaw, waiting to spill into our neighborhood. This is one reason why it is critical to help out our surrounding neighbors.

I think Jack Evans and the developers need to take a page from Councilman Jim Graham’s playbook, and get serious about shutting down nuisance establishments. We should get the same police response as if this had happened in Georgetown (and, let’s not forget there have been some incredibly outrageous violence there in the past). This may be carrying it too far, but how soon before someone is dissed at one of the clubs in Gallery Place and–heaven forbid– comes back with a gun?

Those of us with alley-facing units at the Artisan (and I’m sure the Ventana also) hear people leaving Platinum every Friday and Saturday night around 3am. There always seems to be a screaming match or a fistfight right underneath our windows – people will illegally park back there and then congregate at their cars once they’re drunk and the club has closed. Not only is it annoying to be woken up by this EVERY WEEKEND, but it also scares me that this many obviously drunk people are being allowed to drive cars away from the club. I’ve called the 911 more than once to report violence in the alley, but I’ve never seen a single officer respond. This latest incident is pretty much the last straw for me – hopefully it will be a wake up call to MPD as well!

I don’t know what Platinum has to do to get shut down. The same owner also owns H20 that also has alot of violence. Platinum has gone downhill and caters to a young crowd that causes trouble in PQ. I see it every weekend the crowd they get. I also hate when they close up the sidewalk to put up there ugly metal railings. I wish the owners of Ultra bar would buy Platinum. Ultra bar is very accomodating. Just go to the front door and tell them you live in the area and they let you in for free.

I don’t believe another shooting is a fait accompli. It’s up to us as a relatively young community to bring the clubs up to our living standards and encourage the riff-raff to go elsewhere.

The clubs have been here a long, long, long time…I used to go dancing at The Fifth Column in the late 80s. It is now called Platinum. The nightclub Decades used to be in the structure now called The Artisan condos. Downtown clubs can make the (fallible) argument that they were here first and the residents came later. The community can point out that dance clubs, unlike airports or firehouses, are not mandatory pieces of DC’s infrastructure and are welcome to relocate if they can’t maintain civility.

I like the diversity of having nightclubs in the area but if they can’t meet our standards of living and civic order, then the community needs to remind them, the promoters who operate inside of them and the city that they must now meet higher operating standards.

MPD just posted a sign on the front door of Platinum closing them for 96 hours while ABC can consider the circumstances.

It is entirely ceremonial since Platinum is not open during the next 96 hours (only Fri, Sat & Sun) but it is a good sign for those who would like to see some change.

Another example of thugs invading the neighborhood. I’m worried about the day one of them pulls a gun and opens fire by McDonalds or in the alley leading to the cinemas.

On a related note, I see that Ruby Tuesday’s now has an officer stationed in the restaurant checking IDs on at least the weekend nights. This might be a response to the stabbing that occurred outside Ruby’s a few months back. If history is any guide, the crime will only get worse in the upcoming months.

#15-

Thanks for the link to that group. I just joined it, and I would encourage everyone to do so also. Reading through some of the crime reports–WOW–there is a lot of crime in this city, and much more than I realized in this area.

#21, they were here LOOOONG before you were, I’m not defending them but it’s just fact. I’m with #19, I love the diversity and having clubs that are run right.
But speaking of thugs, it’s getting warmer so the whole Gallery Place area should be buzzin soon..

Wow that yahoo group has some interesting info. So man handgun robberies. WAIT?!?! Aren’t handguns illegal in D.C. ? I can see that law is working well.

Lots of bars and clubs employ off duty officers checking IDs. Methinks you all are watching too many shoot ’em up movies on FX.

The sales tax generated from these clubs is great for the city. However, Platinum needs to renovate and then maybe it will attract a better crowd. It is such a dump now that all it will attract is a young/cheap crowd. How much violence have they had on Sunday nights?? Shut them down already! On a good note, Coco is opening up and looks promising. I love Indiblu and Ultra lounge and Asia 9 looks great.

“…they were here LOOOONG before you were…”

So what? That was then, this is now. PQ is a different place now.

In every city I’ve lived in (and when I went to clubs), they were located in less desirable areas — more secluded and not near residential areas.

Given the vomit splats and trash that stays on the sidewalk long after the Platinum closes, (not to mention the fights, screaming and screwing) I don’t think the place is an appropriate establishment for the current incarnation of PQ. There are plenty of bars and diversity here without them, IMO.

to #23…it doesn’t need to get warmer to attract these thugs. They have been outdoors every Friday and Saturday throughout the winter.

According to the above posts, the activities (fighting, drug exchanges, yelling, screaming,etc) are spread throughout PQ from the area near the club to the Buidling Museum.

I don’t know the answer. but Ybor City in Tampa has had the same experience. They saw the crime reduce,as the clubs were slowly closed down. Unfortunately, these clubs are generally owned and run by people outside the area.

We need more police patrol AND….. While they are patroling, they need to pay attenting to their surroundings. They are usually in large groups chatting with each other, completely clueless to what is going on around them.

FWIW, Commander Groomes of MPD once made a good point at a DNA meeting that the police simply can’t be at every club come closing time. The 14th and K area has seen several clubs open in the past couple years, and there’s other parts of the city with the same or worse problems than PQ. Of course, there’s no defense for the lack of a police presence at a notorious club.

And I for one am glad to see some off-topic comments about these types of incidents. Would pqliving have blogged about this otherwise?

#27, We got those too. Ibiza & FUR, which are both great clubs in seedy but up and coming areas. And development looks to be threatening them in a few years too.

Seems like you’re saying since you’ve moved in, they should move out ?

PS. Cafe Citron in Dupont is a fun place too

not much seems to have changed since abe lincoln was in the neighborhood for a show.

but seriously, is there any ‘neighborhood watch’ program in dc? it would be great to start calling in the drug deals, the loitering, etc… also, start cracking down on the illegal parking in the alleys! what is going to happen if the fire trucks can’t get back in the alley to fight a fire at a condo???!

#31-

If you read the yahoo board from the link posted above, you will find several posts from different areas of the city where things were called in, and police NEVER responded. And, a few of those posts are talking about incidents much more serious than an alley being blocked or a drug deal going down. From that, I extrapolate that either: (1) there are not enough MPD working night shifts in a city infested with crime; or (2) the MPD officers that are working are simply not doing their jobs. Personally, I think the first option is more likely.

However, #28 also makes a good point. When MPD does show a presence in PQ, they are often in groups chatting with each other rather than actively looking out for trouble. Of course, with lax or nonexistent loitering laws, there is little MPD can do until a crime actually occurs.

As for blocking alleys, I would suggest doing what a friend in the U St. Corridor does. Call the tow truck yourself. Another option is to take matters into your own hands reagrding the cars. I am NOT advocating anything, but if I came out to my car and all four tires were flat, I probably wouldn’t park there again.

Just for the record, the groups of MPD officers you see (usually around the Verizon Center during an event) are the Special Operations Division (SOD).

It is kind of strange how that group works during events. For example, if they spot a ticket scalper, they radio in to a 1st district officer to ticket the scalper. I think they only handle trouble that happens inside the Verizon Center and also direct traffic at the end of an event.

#29–I’m not sure I read your comment correctly, but are you insinuating that this blog would have glossed over a shooting in the neighborhood? If so, a Sunday morning (sub 8am) post for a early Sunday morning event wouldn’t suggest a cover-up.

A few readers commented and PQ Living responded by linking to the relevant news articles. Just because we weren’t the first ones to hear about it doesn’t mean we were actively ignoring it. And I for one can’t think of any reason to overlook something that newsworthy.

#30 — It really isn’t an issue of who was “here first”. That’s a pretty ridiculous argument to counter real and present issues of public safety. If an establishment is irresponsible and draws danger to the neighborhood (accent on neighborhood) then yeah, we should try to close them down.

i think people, specifically young, upper-middle class, white people who have gentrified DC are completely crazy to think that because you all have moved in, the clubs that entertain the PEOPLE and NATIVES of DC should move out. how about you work with allll of the community in and around PQ to produce change. you all are only concerned with your property values. what about the innocent people that party at these clubs and come out walking to their car and struck by gunfire. are they “thugs” too? shouldnt young people who like rap, go-go, reggae..u know .. young black people.. shouldnt they have a right to party and enjoy life, just like the young rowdy loud drunk teens and young adults who attend georgetown or AU?

and to the person that said the below:
“I don’t think the place is an appropriate establishment for the current incarnation of PQ. There are plenty of bars and diversity here without them, IMO.”

diversity. you all dont want those type of patrons in your establishments. be honest with yourself. they need their own enviroment and entertainment just like you all.

i think most of these blogs are full of gentrification folks who could careless about the people of DC. you all simply care about the property. well HELLO: the people of DC are essential parts of the DC culture..and this is/was their home before most of you ever thought of moving here. so try and work with them and help them versus trying to shutdown and possible recreation they have. they shouldnt have to live and party in south east or wherever. why cant they dine and party in chinatown like everyone else.

look in the mirror people.

There was a stabbing at Ruby Tuesday’s and Lucky Strike yet no one is calling for them to be shut down. I think the owner of Ultrabar owns a condo in my building at the Artisan. Anyways, I am all for clubs/bars in our area as long as they pull in a good crowd that respects the area.

I would like to remind “a concerned citizen” that some residents of DC burned down and looted the 7th street area in 1968.

I think the residents in our neighborhood want to see entertainment for everyone, but they are fed up w/ violence and intimidation. Just because residents in this neighborhood are unwilling to succumb to fear, and refuse to be victims, does not mean they are worried only about their housing prices and don’t care about other people in the district. They want a neighborhood where they can walk and feel safe and not have people harass them.

#36 — PQ IS gentrified.

Everyone is entitled to party, dine, whatever in PQ. But that doesn’t include thugs with guns. Agreed?

There’s this strange implicit acceptance of this shooting by the anti-gentrifiers. It’s as if to say, yeah, there’s violence, but you know, we have a *right* to party and the clubs were here before YOU. I don’t know, where’s the outrage?

And it’s really tired and simple minded to say that all we — whites? — care about is property values. You don’t get it if you truly believe that. I wouldn’t live here if I didn’t care, enjoy, and connect with the people that choose to live in DC.

#36: BTW, that mirror might show you a thing or two. It’s not as simple as you seem to think.

#38, DC Native: Right on!

to clear up one fact regarding this post…this incident took place Saturday, March 15 in the very early morning. we at PQL wanted to cross check our own contacts, the MPD-1D (Metro Police Dept. First District) listserve and media reports to verify the incident’s occurrence before posting it. we then put the post up on Sunday, March 16 in the morning as a collection of links to existing main line media stories.

“why cant they dine and party in chinatown like everyone else.”

They can. The problem lies with the people that dine andparty in Chinatown NOT like everyone else. Specifically, everyone else does not shoot and stab people.

(1) Nobody should fault the blog for the way they handled this story. I think they did it fabulously. Rather than allowing comments go on the other post, which was designed to feature a unit, the blog mods wisely created a new post. They understood it would generate a lot of interest, and I applaud them for that.

(2) The issue should not be framed about who was here first. Residents, restaurants, retail, and clubs can all coexist. The issue is about crime, safety and violence. Further, the issue is much broader than just THIS shooting. This shooting is representative of a larger problem in the area. The intimidation on 7th street, stabbings at Lucky Strike and Ruby Tuesdays, beatings and muggings, and auto vandalism are all encompassed in this problem.

(3) I am not sure that anyone who has posted here has a problem with the “type” of people that frequent the club. Whatever those generalizations and potential sterotypes are supposed to imply should be disregarded immediately. It is not about black, white or brown. It is about civil versus violent and responsible versus irresponsible.

Many of us live here BECAUSE of the diversification. As posted above, this doesn’t mean that we want to fear for our lives whenever we walk down the street, regardless of our standing in the community.
Everyone wants to feel safe for themselves, their friends and family.

We all want good neighbors and want to be good neighbors. This means respecting where people live.
No one wants to live where people are yelling, screaming and fighting outside their window every Friday and Saturday night from 1 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
No one wants to worry about being shot or stabbed on their home from a fun night out.
No one wants people using the outside of their home for urnials, drug dealing and sexual encounters.

Everyone can have fun and “party”. I didn’t realize that you can only “party” with violence. If that is the case, then I am living in the wrong part of the world.

I was the person that originally posted the entry hearing the shots… Excellent work by the PQ blog moderators for hosting this discussion. thanks.

It really makes my blood boil when someone reflexively shouts “racism” instead of engaging in an honest examination of facts.

I am white, but my wife is not; some of my friends are not; many of my neighbors are not. To a person, not one of us is willing to accept shootings and other violence as simply a price to pay for living in the city, whether it’s PQ, Shaw, Berry Farm, or anywhere else. The fact that such violence is accepted as normal and acceptable by some segments of the population of this city shows how far civility, respect, decency, and common sense have degenerated. It’s all quite sad.

To concerend citizen: “what about the innocent people that party at these clubs and come out walking to their car and struck by gunfire. are they “thugs” too? shouldnt young people who like rap, go-go, reggae..u know .. young black people.. shouldnt they have a right to party and enjoy life, just like the young rowdy loud drunk teens and young adults who attend georgetown or AU?”
Yes, everyone has a right to enjoy life, which is why places that encourage violence should be shut down. I don’t care if you’re white or black- if you are loud, crude and/or shoot a gun, I don’t want you in my backyard. No one is calling these “innocents” thugs. And, FYI, young white people like reggae too.

“i think most of these blogs are full of gentrification folks who could careless about the people of DC.”
You need to take a look in the mirror. We could careless[sic] about the people of DC? We ARE the people of DC. We work and live here. We pay taxes. A lot of us volunteer and are active in the community. What can you say for yourself?

“they shouldnt have to live and party in south east or wherever. why cant they dine and party in chinatown like everyone else.”
If these people are so poor and put out by us “gentrification folks” they probably don’t have the cash to dine and party in chinatown, sorry. The whole point of the original post was to make citizens aware of what is happening in the neighborhood, so we all can be safe and have a good time. Thugs and other such vagrants lose their rights to participate as soon as they break the law. Why are you defending the acceptance and encouragement of violence?

I think you owe yourself a long stare in the mirror, 36, before you start getting so concerned over the state of PQ.

I too heard about the stabbing at lucky strike. I also know that they were caught selling to an underage person not to long ago. I wonder, do they get speacial treatment because they are corporate?