District of Columbia
D.C. gay bar owner robbed at gunpoint on P Street
Police report says suspects fled in vehicle with Maryland tags
The co-owner of the popular D.C. gay bar Number 9 was robbed at gunpoint at about 10:20 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 27, while walking on the 1400 block of P Street, N.W., according to a D.C. police report.
The report says Edward Bailey, co-owner of both Number 9 and the nearby gay bar Trade, told police he was walking westbound on P Street when three juvenile-aged males approached him in front of 1447 P St., N.W., which is the Wells Fargo Bank building.
The police report says the three male suspects had exited a light-colored silver sedan with a Maryland license plate, the number of which was not obtained, with one additional suspect in the driverās seat. According to the report, Suspect 1 ādemanded Victim 1ās jacket while pointing a black handgun at Victim 1, in which Victim 1 complied.ā The report adds, āSuspect 2 patted Victim 1 down and stole his wallet from his rear right pant pocket.ā The report identifies Bailey as Victim 1.
It says the jacket they stole from Bailey was a black Moncler jacket.
All suspects were last seen fleeing westbound on the 1400 block of P Street, the report continues. āAll three Black males were described to be wearing dark color clothing with face coverings,ā the report says.
āSuspect 1 is approximately 5ā8 to 5ā9 and had a black balaclava mask. Suspect 2 is approximately 6ā1 to 6ā2 and had a blue surgical mask on,ā the report says, adding, āNo further lookout information on Suspect 3 and Suspect 4. No injuries to Victim 1.ā
The report says the incident is not classified as a hate crime.
In cases like this, D.C. police have said anyone who may have information to help police identify one or more suspects should contact police at 202-727-9099 or send a message to the police anonymous text tip line at 50411.
Bailey did not immediately respond to a request by the Blade for comment.
Although police crime statistics show that crime has been rising in all parts of the city, including the Logan Circle neighborhood, the immediate area where Number 9 is located has not been considered a high-crime area.
The 1400 block of P Street, N.W. is a bustling business and residential street, with several bars and restaurants as well as a Whole Foods supermarket and CVS Pharmacy that is open 24 hours. Number 9 is located at 1435 P St., N.W.
District of Columbia
Two D.C. LGBTQ rights advocates stepping down from jobs
Crenshaw leaving Alston Foundation; Czapary departs mayorās office
Longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate June Crenshaw announced she is stepping down from her position for the past nine years as executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, the local organization that provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth.
Around the same time, fellow LGBTQ rights advocate Salah Czapary announced he is stepping down from his position for the past two years as director of the D.C. Mayorās Office of Nightlife and Culture.
Meanwhile, a third longtime local LGBTQ rights advocate, David Meadows, was unanimously confirmed on Nov. 1 by the D.C. Council for an appointment by Mayor Muriel Bowser as a member of the cityās Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, which is responsible for administering, enforcing, and adjudicating the cityās alcoholic beverage and medical marijuana laws.
Neither Crenshaw nor Czapary disclosed in announcing their departure from their jobs what their future career plans are, and the two didnāt immediately respond to a question from the Washington Blade asking about career plans going forward.
Crenshaw currently serves as co-chair of the committee organizing D.C. World Pride 2025, the international LGBTQ Pride celebration expected to draw a million or more visitors to the city for a wide range of World Pride events in late May and early June 2025.
āAfter over nine years of unwavering dedication and visionary leadership, our beloved Executive Director, June Crenshaw, has decided to step into her next chapter,ā a statement released by the Wanda Alston Foundation board of directors says. āWhile we will miss Juneās daily presence, we are grateful that she will stay on through the transition to ensure a warm, seamless handover as we actively search for our next executive director,ā the statement says.
It adds, āHer unwavering commitment to our mission, clients, and team has helped build a foundation of compassion, resilience, and excellence. This transition reflects her readiness to explore new paths and her belief in the bright future of the Wanda Alston Foundation.ā
In his own statement, Czapary said he appreciated the opportunity his job gave him to serve the city and its residents and visitors.
āOctober marked my last month in the Mayorās Office and Iām grateful to Mayor Bowser for giving me the opportunity to serve as the Districtās Nightlife and Cultural Director, supporting our hospitality sector ā the sector that makes the city a great place to live and visit,ā he said.
āIām proud of positioning the office as a responsive entry point for industry and residents to interact with government,ā he said in his statement. āThe role deepened my understanding and love for D.C. in ways I couldnāt have imagined two years ago.ā
Czapary added, āAs for me, Iām excited about whatās next.ā But he gave no indication of his future career plans.
In the past 20 years or longer D.C. mayors have appointed an LGBTQ member of what used to be called the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board or ABC Board before its role was expanded to include marijuana regulations. It currently still uses the name ABC Board to denote Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.
LGBTQ rights advocates have called for at least one LGBTQ member of the board to provide representation for the important role that gay bars and other LGBTQĀ establishments licensed to sell or serve liquor have historically played in the community.
The boardās previous gay member, Edward Grandis, left the board earlier this year. In a statement released at the time of his confirmation by the Council, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, which works with the ABC Board on liquor and cannabis related regulations, issued a statement introducing Meadows as its new board member.
āMr. Meadows is a long-time Ward 8 LGBTQIA+ community advocate with 30 years of extensive experience serving in leadership roles in District government and civic organizations,ā the statement says. āMost recently, Mr. Meadows ran day-to-day operations in the Office of At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds as her Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser,ā the statement continues.
It says Meadows previously has served as executive director of the D.C. Democratic Party and notes he began his career in the hospitality industry, including serving as events manager for the D.C.-based National Democratic Club. His appointment on the ABC Board is for a four-year term.
District of Columbia
D.C. to conduct first-of-its-kind LGBTQ veteransā survey
Forum on trans, gender diverse service members set for Nov. 15
As Veterans Day is celebrated in D.C. and across the nation, Mayor Muriel Bowserās Office of Veterans Affairs announced it has recently drawn up an LGBTQIA+ veteransā survey that it will begin distributing in the next few months.
āThis attempt to survey the LGBTQIA+ veterans population in D.C. will be the first of its kind,ā according to Pip Baitinger, who serves as LGBTQIA+ Veterans Outreach and Relation Specialist in the Mayorās Office of Veterans Affairs.
āBarriers have existed in surveying this population due to issues of trust and neglect of the community by institutions in the past,ā Baitinger told the Washington Blade. āHowever, this survey will attempt to accurately represent the number of LGBTQIA+ veterans in D.C. and better understand their needs,ā she said.
Baitinger pointed out that in addition to working on the survey, the Mayorās Office of Veterans Affairs is hosting a special forum on Nov. 15 called Empowering Voices: Health and Wellness for Transgender and Gender Diverse Veterans.
The forum, which will be held from 1-3:30 p.m. at the D.C. Veterans Administration Medical Center at 50 Irving St., N.W., will include discussion, workshops, and provide resources on topics such as gender affirming care and support from experts, a flyer announcing the event says.
The D.C. LGBTQ veterans survey and the Nov. 15 forum follow a Sept. 20 LGBTQ veterans event hosted jointly by the Mayorās Office of Veterans Affairs and the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs called āVoices of Courage: Reclaiming the Legacy of LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Military.ā
The event, which was held at the D.C. LGBTQ Crush Dance Bar, was not open to the press because organizers wanted to ensure that LGBTQ veterans could discuss issues that may be sensitive or private that could impact their ability to obtain certain veteransā benefits.
Baitinger provided the Blade with a summary of the issues discussed and raised at the event and identified some of those who spoke at the event. Among them was U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel And Readiness Shawn G. Skelly, who is the highest-ranking transgender official in the Department of Defense.
Others participating in the event, Baitinger said, were U.S. Air Force member MaKayla Starr, who performed in drag; Charlette Woodward, an official with the Mayorās Office of Veterans Affairs; Japer Bowles, director of the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs; and Baitinger herself.
The mayorās office noted at the time that the event was scheduled to take place on the 13th anniversary of the repeal of the āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tellā law that banned LGBTQ people from serving openly in the U.S. military. Mayor Bowser issued an official mayoral proclamation declaring the day LGBTQIA+ Veterans Day in the District of Columbia.
āDiscussions during the event included the need for greater LGBTQIA+ representation in the military and the progress that has thus far been achieved,ā Baitinger said.
āOne of the primary areas of concern is that of transgender and nonbinary veterans and service members, who are in vitalĀ need of gender affirming care and resources, such as hormones, surgeries, and just general affirming care from doctors who will use correct pronouns during routine doctor visits,ā Baitinger said in describing the issues discussed at the Sept. 20 event.
She said an additional issue deemed important at the event was ongoing efforts to upgrade the discharges of LGBTQ veterans, many of whom received so-called āundesirableā discharges under the āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tellā law before it was repealed. President Joe Biden earlier this year issued a presidential pardon that enabled veterans discharged under the āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tellā law to apply for an upgrade of their discharge to the status of honorable discharge.
A list of resources for LGBTQ veterans offered by the Mayorās Office of Veterans Affairs can be accessed at the departmentās website.
District of Columbia
Gay man found unconscious near D.C. gay bar dies
Police release video of suspects in incident listed as robbery
D.C. police have confirmed that a gay man who worked as a hairstylist and a DJ and who was found unconscious about 5 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at the intersection of 5th and T Streets, N.W. near the gay bar Uproar has died.
Friends who knew the victim, Bryan Smith, stated in a GoFundMe message seeking support for his medical expenses that he was hospitalized for a severe head injury. His family members told Fox 5 News that he was in a coma.
A D.C. police spokesperson confirmed that Smith died on Nov. 7 and the cause and circumstances surrounding his death were pending with the Northern Virginia Medical Examinerās Office. āOnce we have more information, weāll be putting that out,ā D.C. police spokesperson Thomas Lynch told the Washington Blade.
The information released by D.C police indicates Smith at some point was transferred from a D.C. hospital where he was taken by ambulance at the time he was found unconscious to a Virginia hospital, most likely at the request of family members.
Police also released a video showing two suspects and a vehicle they believe the suspects used in committing the robbery of Smith.
āThe ongoing investigation has determined that the man was robbed by two suspects while walking on the block,ā according to an Oct. 30 police statement released before Smith died. āDetectives are still working to determine how the victim sustained his injuries,ā the statement says.
The statement adds that the suspects have been linked to three other offenses that took place that same morning, two of which were attempted robberies and one of which was a robbery of victims on nearby streets.
Smith was found unconscious on Oct. 27 about five hours after another gay man, Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarra, 22, was reportedly attacked and beaten by as many as 15 men and women at the McDonaldās restaurant at 14th and U Street, N.W., according to a D.C. police report and information provided by Lascarraās husband.
D.C. police announced they made an arrest Nov. 5 of a 16-year-old juvenile male in connection with the McDonaldās case. The arrest came on the same day police released photos of seven suspects in the McDonaldās assault case taken from video cameras at or near the McDonaldās.
In their release of the video showing the two suspects in the Smith case, police are asking that anyone who may recognize the two individuals should contact police at 202-727-9099 or text their tip to the departmentās TEXT TIP Line at 50411.
āAnyone who may have seen or heard something suspicious in the 500 block of T Street, NW, or the surrounding area around 5:00 a.m. Sunday [Oct. 27] is asked to call the police or text police,ā the statement accompanying the release of the police video says.
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