Councilmember Bowser Hopes to Eliminate Sunset Date
On March 4, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser introduced a bill to amend Title 25 of the District of Columbia Official Code, in effect eliminating the September 30, 2008 sunset date. Also known as the Ward 4 Single Sales Moratorium, it prohibits the sale of individual containers of beer, malt liquor, or ale in targeted areas of the Ward. Eight members of the DC Council, Council Chair Vincent Gray, Yvette Alexander, Marion Barry, Kwame Brown, David Catania, Mary Cheh, Carol Schwartz, and Tommy Wells, endorsed the proposed indefinite extension by cosponsoring the bill.

“I have heard from residents, ANC Commissioners, and members of the Metropolitan Police Department all over Ward 4 about how effective the Ward 4 Single Sales Moratorium has been to eliminate litter, public drunkenness, and other quality of life issues,” said Councilmember Bowser.

The moratorium affects all holders of off-premises retailer liquor licenses, Class A and B, located within the Ward by prohibiting the division of a manufacturer’s package to sell an individual container holding 70 ounces or less. Four years after the enactment, much support has been garnered for this moratorium from the community and has even inspired other portions of the city to create similar legislation. Councilmembers from Wards 7 and 8 have recently introduced their own versions modeled after the Ward 4 moratorium in an effort to ban single sales in their Wards.

“I am pleased that many of my Council colleagues agree with me that the Ward 4 Single Sales Moratorium needs to be extended beyond Sept. 30, 2008 to continue to improve the quality of life in Ward 4,” added Councilmember Bowser

Island Café Liquor License Suspended
Swift Action Taken Following Shooting
In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 15, a man was shot in the head and the hand at the Island Café located at 829 Upshur Street, NW. Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser was quick to urge the Metropolitan Police Department to suspend the Café’s liquor sales immediately following the violent incident. The club’s liquor license was initially suspended for 96 hours by MPD Chief Cathy Lainer pending an investigation by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). The ABRA was brought in to determine the safety of the club and its ability to continue operations after years of citations and violations culminating with the March shooting.

On March 19 the ABRA Board met with MPD officials resulting in a summary suspension keeping the business closed until the ABRA Board held a hearing on March 26. The press was invited to attend and Councilmember Bowser was also present to discuss the suspension. Councilmember Bowser has been supportive of the Police Chief's initial closure of Island Café and also of the ABRA Board's decision. “I have heard from Petworth residents, ANC Commissioners and members of the Metropolitan Police Department about their concerns about this club.” said Councilmember Bowser. “This club has been cited for violations for a number of years. I commend the Chief of Police and the ABRA Board for taking swift action with this club until the investigation is complete. This is an action that will keep our residents and neighborhoods safer.”

WARD 4 NOTES

ANC 4C: Petworth, Crestwood
At the March 11 ANC 4C meeting a presentation was made by representatives from Washington Central Parks, a resident’s group aimed at re-opening old public parks as park space. The Petworth-based non-profit has been pushing to create a number of historically significant locations in and around the District into green spaces, including Emancipation National Park, the location where President Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln’s cottage in the park was opened for the first time to visitors on February 18, and the group hopes that it soon will bring significant tourism as Ford’s Theatre has done with up to 750,000 visitors each year. The group has garnered the support of ANC 4C as well as ANC 1A and the Office of Planning. Approval of Washington Central Park’s master plan by the National Capital Planning Commission is expected on May 5.

Also at the March ANC 4C meeting was representatives from the People’s Property Campaign and Empower DC. Member Adrian Madsen spoke about the grassroots membership based non profit’s efforts to propose a bill mandating a community input process before publicly owned property is sold or disposed of by the District Council. The group is concerned by the Council’s trend of giving away property to developers, a reoccurring event over the past several years. Currently the law only allows for the sale and disposition of public property, not the potential redistribution of it. Already supported by ANC 4D, the bill was approved unanimously by ANC 4C pending a few necessary changes.