Local
D.C. gay man dies after being punched by bouncer at Philly bar
Police, prosecutors investigating incident as possible homicide
A 41-year-old D.C. gay man died in a Philadelphia hospital on April 23, one week after being knocked unconscious by the bouncer of a bar who punched him in the head after reportedly escorting him out of the bar because he allegedly was intoxicated.
A surveillance video of the incident broadcast by several Philadelphia TV news stations shows the bouncer pulling back his arm and swinging a forceful punch to the head of Eric Pope, knocking him down on a street in front of the Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar.
At the time the bouncer hit him, the video shows Pope standing in the street by himself and not appearing to be acting in an aggressive way.
The Philadelphia Gay News describes Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar as an “establishment oriented to the LGBTQ+ community.”
The video shows Pope lying unconscious on the street for about a minute before the bouncer who punched him, and another bouncer, pull his limp body out of the street and onto the sidewalk in front of the bar.
He’s seen in the video lying on the sidewalk for a few minutes before a small crowd of people gathers around him. At that point the video ends.
A statement released by the Philadelphia Police Department says Pope was unconscious when Medics arrived at 12:20 a.m. on April 16 and immediately performed CPR before taking Pope to Jefferson Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. He was pronounced dead at the hospital one week later on April 23.
Philadelphia’s Fox 29 TV News reported that Tabu’s owner said the bouncer involved was not an employee of the bar and the incident did not happen on their property. “When it was reported to them, they immediately called 911 and are cooperating with the police investigation,” the TV news station reports.
“More than a week after the deadly incident, law enforcement sources told Fox 29’s Kelly Rule that criminal charges” were expected in the case and that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office was taking the matter “very seriously.”
A Zoominfo profile of Pope’s career says he worked as a project coordinator at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank’s Division of Monetary Affairs in D.C.
Someone in D.C. who knew Pope and who spoke on condition of not being identified said his friends are skeptical over claims that Pope had to be escorted out of a bar for being intoxicated.
“Everyone who knew Eric is shocked because he was not the type of person who was a fighter or a troublemaker that you would expect would need to be forcibly removed from a bar,” the person who knew him said.
Philadelphia’s ABC 6 TV News station quoted one of Pope’s aunts who lives in Massachusetts as saying Pope’s entire family was devastated over the news of his death.
“I just can’t fathom anyone hurting him because he’s so good, so helpful and so honest,” the TV station quoted Bunny Conceiceo as saying. “He cared about people, he helped people,” she is quoted as saying.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
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