president Donald Trump’s The federal takeover of Washington, DC Policing, which was billed as a crackdown on violent crimes, quickly turned into an economic and cultural crisis in the capital LGBTQ+Nightlife. most LGBTQ+American city, bar owners say sales have collapsed, patrons staying at home, workers carry passports and legal documents just to walk the streets.
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“All of this is being billed as a crackdown on violent crimes, but it’s just a migrant sweep,” said Mark Rutzstein, co-owner of the Clashdance bar. Supporters Saturday.
Abandoned corridor
Latstein said federal and local agencies staged a checkpoint on 14th Avenue on Wednesday evening, leading to 45 arrests, of which 29 were immigrant-related. He said he saw Best Homeland Security Agent pull a Latinx man into an unmarked vehicle.
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Ratstein said the visible presence of law enforcement for the bloc has sparked protests and “customer flights.” Sales at Thursday’s crash were northwest on the 14th, down 75%, falling more than half on Friday, which is usually one of the busiest nights. “Washington state is leaving the city to avoid any confusion in addition to reducing tourism,” he said.
Dave Perzza, who owns her own league with Pitcher and Adams Morgan, said she felt Friday night “like the desert.” “It’s all local on Thursdays, but on Friday and Saturday, people get out of town. He estimated a loss of $7,000 per night. “It’s not sustainable.”
The inside is safe and the outside is fearful
A viral video of a man later identified as widely circulating after Shawn Charles Dunn throwing a subway sandwich at federal agents. The incident happened on a bunker on Sunday. Bunker is a popular LGBTQ+ underground night club on 14th Avenue.
Related: Man accused of throwing a subway sandwich at a DC border agent charged with felony
Bunker co-owner Q Edwin said the real impact came not from that single incident, but from the heavy federal presence since. “We look at a lot of federal agents around the block, ask people for IDs, randomly stop and check cars,” he said. “We wanted to recognize that while people were inside the bunker it was a safe space. But that’s another story.”
Edwin, a naturalized US citizen who served six years in the Army, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he carries his passport and veteran ID when driving in the city. “Even people with green cards and work permits are scared to come to work,” he said. “That’s a bad thing workbad for sightseeing. Everyone is afraid. And when the workforce is afraid, when the community is afraid, the economy is struggling. ”
Policies in place
All three owners said they had consulted lawyer They trained federal agents on how to respond to staff if they tried to enter the facility.
Ratstein said the rules for crashes are simple: “Show us the warrant. We have nothing to hide, but you’re not intrusting a safe place for the community.”
Related: Donald Trump orders an authoritarian takeover of Washington, DC
Edwin said Bunker has documents proof that employees are being verified and proofs their plans as to what to do if an officer appears. “If Ice wants to come, we can show them evidence that we went through the entire process,” he said. “If they’re coming to our doors, we’ll let the community know. We’ll let people know on the dance floor. The last thing we want is that some of them are trying to get into the club and force them.”
Perzza said his manager and security were also explained. “Unless we call them and have problems, they’re not allowed at the facility,” he said. “If ICE or someone comes to your facility, they must have a daytime and date stamp warrant. They just can’t get in. In DC, all business is private. We’re sorry.
He added that even the Metropolitan Police Department’s LGBTQ+ liaison unit was once a welcome presence at his bar, but no longer allowed inside. “We usually come in DC police and have gay and lesbian liaisons coming in, but we can’t,” Perzza said. “I don’t want to surprise customers.”
Trump’s “worst crime ever” lies
Trump defended his actions by citing 2023 data and claiming that DC was facing “the worst violent crime ever.” However, city records show that violent crime is at a historic low level.
Related: White House propaganda video shows SWAT teams flocking DC homes for DOJ employees who were charged for throwing sandwiches
Ratstein, who lived in the city for 25 years, dismissed the president’s claim as “clearly false.” “There were over 500 murders in the early ’90s, and it quickly fell to 300. We’re not even close to those numbers,” he said. “I don’t feel safe in DC. Are there crimes? Yes, like every city.
Employers acknowledge that juvenile crime is a challenge, but argue that deploying a federal agent and immigrant sweep in the nightlife corridor is not a solution. Perzza, who has lived in D.C. for decades, said she feels safe walking around town even late at night, and has rejected the White House city framing lawlessly. “Adams Morgan has no problem. I’m walking through Meridian Hill Park from Birds Home. It’s dark. I feel safe. I’m not safe. “What we don’t like is that it’s a constant with all my friends, my kids. I think the kids can’t control, but I don’t think they need to call the National Guard to deal with them.”
With Perruzza, the problem is less policing and accountability at home. “I think it’s time to start holding parents accountable. If your child is out and they’re doing something wrong, you should go to jail at night,” he said. He stressed that he did not support corporal punishment, but argued that parents should set restrictions. “You’ll remove the phone, take the iPad, take the gaming system. Kids can’t live without the phone.
He sees today’s youth culture as a post-pandemic phenomenon that has not been drowned for too long. “There’s something different about teenagers and young people these days, and it’s just the way they’re willing to act. They don’t have a sense of consequences since Covid. But he added that the presence of the National Guard is unlikely to have a lasting effect. “The kids are not going to come out now, as the National Guard is here. The moment they leave, the kids come out again.”
Pleas for the locals
For LGBTQ+ business owners, the federal government’s presence is not only changing nightlife, but also threatening the vulnerable ecosystems that maintain the strange communities of DC. “The locals should go out. The locals should do things,” Perzza said. “If you don’t get people from outside of town, then the locals need to show up.”
Ratstein agrees, and whips some sentiment about this climate, but encourages solidarity. “We understand the pauses for black and brown people about going out now, but we need to love our community to feel comfortable.
Still, the general mood is unmistakable. As Rutstein said: “I panicked.”
Supporters We asked Japer Bowles, director of the office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questions at DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for comment.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
