Local
Gay clubs vow support at Dupont Circle crime summit
Representatives of gay bars Fireplace, Omega and Apex told participants of a Dupont Circle crime summit that they would join efforts to curtail crime and excessive noise in the neighborhood.
The Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the Dupont Circle Citizens Association called the Jan. 26 summit in response to what some of their members called an alarming spike in violent crime in that area during the month of December. The summit was held at the Hotel Palomar on P Street.
ANC Chair Mike Silverstein and former DCCA President Rob Halligan, who served as moderator at the summit, pointed to police reports of a carjacking, rape and shooting on and around P Street, between 20th and 22nd streets, all within a few weeks of each other. Police have said they aren’t sure if the incidents are linked to nearby clubs, but many P Street residents pointed to frequent fights, including a stabbing, that have been linked to the Pasha Lounge, a straight nightclub on the 2100 block of P St., N.W.
No one was known to have been hit or injured in the shooting incident, and no suspects have been identified.
“That sort of thing is unprecedented in our neighborhood and simply can’t be tolerated,” Silverstein told DC Agenda.
Halligan said the three incidents in December that prompted neighborhood activists to call the summit came on the heels of ongoing concern about noise, excessive traffic congestion and rowdiness associated with some of the bars and nightclubs in the area.
According to Halligan, some nearby residents have observed what they believe are patrons of the gay bar Fireplace selling drugs in the area. One Dupont Circle ANC commissioner, Mike Feldstein, who is gay, said he was approached recently inside the Fireplace by someone offering to sell him cocaine.
“We would never tolerate that,” said Fireplace co-owner Steve Weinstein in an interview outside the summit. “He should have told us about it. If it actually happened, we would have thrown the person out and called the police.”
Feldstein told DC Agenda that he regrets not reporting the incident to an employee or manager of the Fireplace.
Silverstein and Jack Jacobson, another Dupont Circle ANC commissioner, said no one has linked the violent incidents in December to any of the three gay clubs in the area: Fireplace, Omega and Apex.
Perry Morehouse, an official with Omega and Apex, told the summit he and the staff of the two clubs have worked closely with the ANC to curtail noise and other problems in the area and they would continue to do so. He noted that Omega, Apex and other nearby clubs have jointly paid for off-duty police officers to monitor the crowds and help control noise by customers entering and leaving the clubs.
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Congratulations to Jaime Christopher Pierce on their appointment to serve as a member of the Virginia Governor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Pierce was sworn in on Sept. 3 by Greg Parks, clerk of the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Pierce currently serves as vice chair of the Alexandria City LGBTQIA+ Task Force and as a member of the Alexandria Pride planning committee. They previously served on the board of directors of Equality Virginia.
Upon being sworn in, Pierce said, “Public service has been a central part of my life for more than 30 years, and this appointment gives me an opportunity to serve the Commonwealth in a different and very personal way. My career has allowed me to work with people and communities throughout Virginia, and I hope to bring that experience, along with my own lived experience and my involvement in the LGBTQ+ community, to the work of the Board.” They added, “Having Greg administer the oath makes the occasion even more meaningful because of his own historic role as Virginia’s first openly gay elected circuit court clerk.”
Pierce also serves as Circuit Court Services Manager for the Department of Judicial Services, at the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. They began their career in Virginia’s judiciary in 1994 as a deputy clerk with the Virginia Beach Circuit Court and have since held several professional and leadership positions within the court system. Pierce is a member of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management. At the national level, Pierce participated in the workgroup that developed the National Association for Court Management’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guide, a resource designed to help court professionals advance inclusive practices and strengthen access, fairness and belonging within the justice system.
Pierce earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Liberty University, and a certificate in Paralegal Studies from Norfolk State University.
Maryland
Md. groups receive state grants to fight hate crimes
Pride Center of Maryland among recipients
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy are awarding a total of $10 million in grants in the 2027 fiscal year to nonprofit organizations that work to prevent hate crimes in the state.
The funds will be used to support those who feel targeted or discriminated against because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.
The Pride Center of Maryland is among the recipients. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and LGBTQ organizations are all eligible to receive grants
“The safety and security of all Marylanders is my top priority, so we are drawing a hard line because we have no tolerance for hate,” said Moore, according to media reports. “We are committed to protecting and ensuring safe and sacred spaces stay that way by investing in non-profit organizations, houses of worship, and community centers to protect and honor every community that makes our state so diverse and special.”
“Protection Against Hate Crime funding has strengthened the Pride Center of Maryland’s ability to protect, educate, and support the communities we serve … at a time of heightened concern associated with the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ/SGL (same-gender-loving) policies and pressures,” Pride Center of Maryland CEO Cleo Manago said. “PAHC funding helps us do more than improve physical security — it strengthens our community’s knowledge, preparedness, connection to resources, and ability to respond to hate with greater awareness and support.”
Maryland’s hate crimes law includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. The state’s nondiscrimination statute is also LGBTQ-inclusive.
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
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