The federal acquisition of several DC LGBTQ bars and nightclub owners of the city’s police, as well as the surge in federal agents stationed along the corridors of 14th and U Street in NW NW, cost thousands of dollars over the weekend.
Mark Rutstein, co-owner of Crush Dance Bar in NW 14th Avenue and U Streets, told CBS Affiliate wusa That August 15th was the worst Friday the bar has seen since opening last year. He estimated the loss to be around $15,000 overnight.
said Ratstein Supporters The crash sat near a multi-agency checkpoint, including a Department of Homeland Security agents established Wednesday evening. Authorities reportedly arrested 45 people, of which 29 are immigrant-related.
DHS and other federal agencies claim they are targeting only “worst, worst, worst” criminals; axios Even after providing valid identification, it reports cases of US citizens being detained on suspicion of primarily Latino or Native Americans being undocumented. The fear of being stopped by being racially profiled is widely seen as a factor behind the decline in sales and walking at DC’s LGBTQ venues
Ratstein warned that if the crash continues to drastically decline in business, and if pedestrians are low over the weekend during the Metropolitan Police Department’s 30-day federal administration, bars could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Zach Renovátes, managing partner of LuckyHospitality Group – who runs district Eagle, Bunker and Lucky Polo near the intersection of 14th Avenue and U Street – said he lost “thousands of dollars” over the weekend due to the growing presence of police.
“Specifically, on Friday we had a huge drop, down to 40%. Metro Weekly. “And people are scary, right? They’re watching what’s going on in the media in the news. They’re seeing these police checkpoints literally go up next to or adjacent to our venue. And they’re seeing an increase in police presence along the hallways. That’s scary.”
He said, “The income from the bar and [the number of] The bodies passing through the door were down significantly beyond their traits.
Both Bunker and District Eagle hire their own security officers to check out patrons who are in the venue, but Renovátes said they are unaware of MPDs and federal agents searching for customers and belongings. “People need to understand that under any circumstances, police and federal agencies will allow them to enter our facilities without a valid warrant issued. [by a judge]. ”
Despite the economic losses, Renovátes said attention to facilities affected by the growing police presence underscored the need to support local LGBTQ businesses. And he hoped that the patron would come back by “presenting and appearing.”
Even trade, which has become one of the city’s most popular nightlife spots since its recent expansion, saw “dips in business” over the weekend, according to owner Ed Bailey.
“There are many potential factors, but we can definitely attribute it to the current National Guard/federal law enforcement situation,” Bailey said. Metro Weekly By email. “We know a lot of customers living outside the city who have chosen not to drive due to the unpredictable nature of this situation.”
a wusa Analysis of Openable Data shows that at local restaurants, diners have fallen more than 25% after Trump announced a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Bookings are 27% compared to the same day one year ago on Tuesday, and 31% on Wednesday, when the acquisition officially took effect. The numbers recovered slightly from Thursday to Sunday, but remained above 20% below last year’s level.
David Perzza, the pitcher owner and her own league (one of the few LGBTQ bars offering food), told WUSA that Adams Morgan’s 18th Avenue corridors fell by $7,000 on Friday alone, despite the fact that Adams Morgan’s 18th Avenue corridors do not have the same level of federal law enforcement presence as 14th Avenue.
Perzza said later Metro Weekly He lost an estimated $5,000 on Saturday, August 16th and another $1,000 on Sunday, August 17th.
“People don’t notice, but it’s like my taxes, or part of my salary, or half of my rent,” he said. “Electricity, gas, all the fucking bills. There’s a big 10,000 square feet with six air conditioning units.”
Perzza said the decline in food sales has affected the ability to pay kitchen staff, including food runners and chefs.
“The good thing about my business is that we serve food all night,” he said. “We don’t charge a lot of money for the food either. I feel like burgers and fries are cheaper in my place than if you were going to McDonald’s.
“But when we die, I have to pay for the entire kitchen staff. The chefs aren’t cheap. Food runners aren’t cheap, and they’re not even chip-based employees.”
Perzza even Adams Morgan, packed in restaurants along 18th Avenue, called reduced pedestrian traffic.
“We always have some pedestrians, but we rely on a lot of people coming out of town, because we are the only lesbian bar,” Perzza said, referring to her own league. “And when you have a disability or something, people don’t want to deal with it.”
Perruzza recently opened its lively new Latin venue, Mor, on the top floor of Pitchers Complex.
“Many Latinos didn’t want to go out this weekend because they didn’t want to deal with the bullshit they could face, even if they were citizens,” he said.
“We didn’t have a Latina entertainer – a drag queen. If she’s in town and she’s on Uber, they’ll pull Uber and have a Latina on the back of the drug and want to see her ID. and Then she gets harassed because she doesn’t look like her [official government] ID?
“I’m more frightening about Drug Queens than anything else,” he continued. “Most people don’t look like Ubers or scooters, so they don’t look like IDs. These people harass me because they don’t look like IDs. My biggest fear is my friends.
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Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
