Special ANC 4D meeting, Trinidad & Tobago gets license restored

Courtesy Google Maps

ANC 4D has decided to hold a special meeting on Thursday, September 3rd at Truesdell Education Campus at 7pm. According to the ANC, the meeting is necessary for the ANC to vote on budget items that they were unable to vote on at the last meeting (and to “keep the DC auditor happy”). 

They will be inviting representatives from Horton Funeral Home at 600 Kennedy St NW, which has partnered with Manna, Inc., to build a 42-unit affordable-rent apartment building for seniors at his underutilized lot at 608 Kennedy St., which currently serves as a parking lot and carwash. The building is to be called Horton Village, and it is the first major new development on Kennedy St..

The ANC also plans on inviting representatives from ABRA to shed light on why the Alcohol Board negotiated an agreement with the Trinidad and Tobego Association, owners of Club House (5123 Georgia Avenue NW) to reinstate its liquor license.

ANC 4C and 4D have both passed resolutions asking that the Club’s liquor license remain revoked after numerous fights, underage drinking, trash complaints, noise complaints and even a request by Chief Lanier to revoke the license. The private club was the scene of a massive brawl that spilled out onto Georgia Avenue and closed down the street back in January. 

The ABRA board moved forward with the reinstatement without inviting either ANC nor the community to provide input, nor informing the ANCs.

The ANC 4D Commissioners encourage residents to attend the special meeting.

Volunteer some time and grab a drink with a veteran

Pic courtesy Friends of the Soldier's Home

The Friends of the Soldier's Home has one of its regular "Saloon Nights" coming up next week, and they're looking for volunteers to join the awesome veterans at the Armed Forced Retirement Home for some drinks, some songs and always a fun time.

I volunteer with the Friends and have attended a Saloon night, and it's a great time drinking, eating, singing and talking with the men and women who live at the AFRH. They're all really interesting to chat with, and it's a guaranteed good time. Plus it's nice to hang out with neighbors. (And hey, if you're a parent of a Creative Minds Charter School child, consider giving back to the AFRH by volunteering with the Friends of the Soldier's Home.)

If you're interested in spending a couple of hours shooting the breeze with retired veterans, considering volunteering with the Friends on September 1st from 6-8pm. Note that you need to be 21 and over to volunteer for this particular event (it is "saloon night" after all...).

To volunteer, send an email to the volunteer coordinator, Lori Lincoln (but only if you're sure you're going to attend). She'll get back to you with details of where to go, etc.

Mark your calendars for upcoming FOSH events!
 - AFRH Resident/Staff Baseball Game on Wednesday, September 9th
 - JINGO for all ages on Thursday, September 17th
 - Happy Hour on Tuesday, September 29th
 - Fall Family Festival on Sunday, October 4th

Pics from Southwest Petworth Social

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Here's some pictures from tonight's Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social. Feel free to tag yourself in the photos on Facebook.

Posted by Petworth News on Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Discussion with fantasy author Tom Doyle at Petworth Library

(Cover of The Left-Hand Way, courtesy Tom Doyle.)

Author Tom Doyle will be at the Petworth Library to discuss his contemporary fantasy series Wednesday, August 26th at 7pm.

The first book, American Craftsmen, is about two modern magician soldiers who fight their way through the legacies of Poe and Hawthorne as they attempt to destroy an undying evil - and not kill each other first.

In the sequel, The Left-Hand Way, the craftsmen are hunters and hunted in a global race to save humanity from a new occult threat out of America’s past. 

Come by to talk with the author and support your local Library!

A decision on the Riyad Market

While I appreciate the effort any person puts in to start and run a business legitimately, the owner of the Riyad Market, Osman Mohammed, never seemed to want to be a part of the Petworth community or support the neighborhood. The closed up windows, the odd store hours, the off-putting signage and lastly, getting caught selling synthetic drugs. It’s that last one that is the downfall of the Riyad.

The Riyad has been evicted and will be closing its doors in November.

I spoke with Michael Aniton, the DC Assistant Attorney General in charge of the case against the Riyad. “The basis of the eviction case against the Riyad Market was the sale of synthetic drugs. We had detectives prepared to testify to the sale of synthetic drugs and community members prepared to testify to the negative impact that the market has had on the surrounding community.” 

Mr. Mohammed, the owner of the Riyad, has signed a written agreement with the landlord to vacate the property by November 13, 2015. They agreed to resolve the issue in Landlord and Tenant court on Thursday, August 20th. If Mr. Mohammed fails to vacate the property or hand over the keys, or to pay the rent for September and October, the owner can have the U.S. Marshalls carry out the eviction.
 
“The role of the community is extremely important,” Mr. Aniton said. "The community should continue to report any suspicious or illegal activity that they observe at Riyad Market. I would also encourage the community to try to work with the owner of the property to make sure that the next tenant is a good, upstanding business that will bring positive energy to the community.”

I hope the Dudley family (the owners of the building) do bring in a business that will contribute to Petworth. 

Sexual assault reported on Grant Circle

A woman was forcibly sexually assaulted on the unit block of Grant Circle sometime between 2am and 3:50am Monday morning by a man described by MPD as a "black male, 25-35 years old, dark complexion and short haircut. He was observed wearing a white shirt."

MPD thinks it's possible the suspect is an Uber driver, and was driving a white "sports" car with black leather seats. 

Keep your eyes out and be careful.

Anyone who has information regarding this case should call police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, information may be submitted to the TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411. 

Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social this Wednesday

The next Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social is this Wednesday, August 26th from 6:30pm to dark at the grassy triangle at Kansas Ave and Quincy Street. There's always some tasty lemonade and people have been bringing cookies, veggies and other treats -- feel free to bring something for neighbors (or local bloggers) to enjoy!

And make sure you tell your neighbors who may not be online -- getting out to meet people and kids in a causal setting makes for a great community event.

The SWP Lemonade Social is the fourth Wednesday of every month.