May 25, 2007   | COMMENTS     

About 125 residents of the Ivy City section of Washington’s Ward 5 turned out for a community meeting on May 16 in which D.C. Councilmember Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5) criticized a bill that would allow gay and straight nightclubs displaced by the new baseball stadium to relocate in his ward. The bill, introduced last month by gay Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), does not single out Ward 5 as a special place for the clubs to move. But club owners have said the Ivy City section of the ward is home to the city’s largest industrial and warehouse zones, which are most suitable for adult clubs that feature nude dancing because no residential buildings are in the immediate area. “They didn’t use the word gay but they kept saying they don’t want ‘those places’ to move there,” said gay businessman Bob Siegel, who attended the meeting. Thomas has said he and many Ivy City residents oppose the businesses because of their adult nature, not because some would cater to a gay clientele. He told attendees at the May 16 meeting, held at Bethesda Baptist Church, that he plans to introduce 11 amendments to Graham’s bill in an effort to “improve” it. He did not disclose what the amendments would call for, but representatives of the displaced clubs believe the amendments are aimed at
gutting the bill. Thomas and Councilmember Kwame Brown (D-At-Large), who also attended the meeting, said they would vote against Graham’s bill if the City Council defeats the proposed amendments. Graham has said he believes he has the votes to pass his bill, which is scheduled to come before the Council on June 5. In a related development, the Council’s Committee of the Whole voted on May 15 to allocate $3.6 million in city capital funds to make street repairs and improvements on four main streets in Ivy City where the displaced clubs plan to move. Thomas requested the funding allocation, saying street improvements were needed to accommodate expected “development” in the area.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.