From the ANC 6C05 website/blog (http://anc6c05.blogspot.com/):
Please be advised that on Friday, July 11, 2008, MPD and DCRA issued a cease and desist order to the operators of Studio 400. I have spoken with the primary operator since the issuance of the order. In addition, it appears that there is some internal conflict between the operators concerning their business strategy. I am working with the respective agency officials in order to update you soon on the future of Studio 400. There are issues being worked through that I am not at liberty to say at this juncture. However, at the appropriate time I will inform the community.
M. Tony Richardson
29 comments:
Sounds to me like Studio 400s identity crisis (mentoring vs. clubbing) is interfering with business operations...and maybe posing a threat to the public at large (which is where I suspect the MPD C&D comes in)
AWESOME. Well done Mr. Richardson. In moving H Street forward, we need to make it clear that we're not going to tolerate this kind of establishment and that business owners are going to be held accountable. Keep us posted.
--About Time
well, they were up and running on saturday night. place was jumping when we drove by. so much for ceasing and desisting.
Good
Ro,
Interesting. I saw a swarm of MPD officers outside the club on Friday afternoon as I was driving home from work. It looked like they were telling the Studio 400 people to take down that huge tent stand they have out front on the sidewalk (tent stand also operating without permit). Now it looks like they may have been serving the C&D to the proprietors.
If its true they were operating on Saturday as normal, then they were in violation of the C&D and should be fined for that as well. We're not going to tolerate this crap in our community.
Big thank you to Mr. Richardson for jumping on this on such short notice. Looks like the blog entries and email/letter campaign worked!
Probably a good thing to shut it down. I had some hopes for the place when I heard it might be a music mentoring place, but then walking by it at night you can tell it's just a regular club trying to skirt some legalities.
They should close it down and open up an actual music mentoring spot in it's place.
Soul Searcher, since you're friends with Mr. Dizney, just wondering what your thoughts were with the cease and desist orders? Does Dizney have any comments.
I'm hoping that Dizney, Looney Tunez, and whoever else is running that outfit will finally get with the program and end the side club business. Everyone knows the real money is in music mentorship anyhow!
I don't know anything about the operations of the studio, but I really really hope that tent selling T-shirts goes away. It's awful. And no, it's not that they're selling "urban" wear.
I don't know how much I'm at liberty to say. I'm going to try to get Dizney to post here, actually. I left a message to that effect recently.
There is a split between the parties who control the club. I'll ask him how much he wants to be public.
If something positive can come of this, I'm all for it. Maybe they can get their act together, be legal, and host parties that support their cause. Then, when idiots post on this blog complaining about kids eating chips midday on H St, everyone will know what's really going on.
Clearly Studio 400 cares nothing about the law. Even after their order last Friday they are back up and running again tonight. Does this mentor program teach disrespect of the law? Actions are much louder than words.
Since we have clearly proven this is not a mentor program, it is obvious they have complete disregard for the laws of this city. I appreciate that action the city has done thus far, but it is time to hold the owners completely accountable for their illegal actions. Even if they did go through the proper process now they have pushed the residences too far. My only option for them now is to be completely gone. Studio 400, you did this to yourself.
Soul Searcher said, " I'll ask him (Dizney) how much he wants to be public."
He better be making everything public if he wants his little business enterprise to survive. My guess is with all these crazy shenanigans he's tried to pull over on the community it may be too late. Which would be totally fine with me.
8th & el, you're as full of as Soul Searcher (are you the same person?). Posting on here "Then, when idiots post on this blog complaining about kids eating chips midday on H St, everyone will 'really' know what's going on." Referring to some of us as "idiots" is as unneighborly and unkind as some of the other more egregious stuff I've heard here. And then saying children eating chips midday on H St. "then we'd know what's 'really' going on" - What if there was a legitimate discussion about why these children weren't in school during midday? What were you insinuating was "really going on"?
I think you're jumping to poor conclusions sir and that's what's "really" going on....
I was pretty excited about this until I noticed that they were operating a nightclub again on Monday night. Apparently the C&D order isn't going to stop them.
So much for mentoring.
Tony Richardson just updated the ANC 6c05 website. According to Tony, DCRA allowed Studio 400 to continue operating "under conditions specific to their operating license". If their operating license is for a recording studio, how can you continue to operate as a nightclub???
Tony further stated that he wants to pursue a community agreement that will allow Studio 400 to continue operating.
Apparently, in DC we reward businesses that fail to file the appropriate permits or go through the appropriate community review by just allowing them to continue to operate by agreeing to a "community agreement".
I suggest everyone contact Tony who doesn't think lawbreakers should be rewarded for breaking the law.
they probably have some dufus in the back with a tape recorder recording "the event", which might allow them to circumvent the law.
Soul Searcher, please please have your friend Dizney tell us that this isn't true.
Maybe he will decide to "go public" and come on here to tell us what's going on he will announce that he has made a mistake and is volunteering to close his doors until he can clarify his business plan with DCRA and try again to open his doors as a legitimate operation.
Oh, wait, he doesn't have to do that because DCRA has already given him the go ahead to keep operating! This is crazy!
H St. Resident
Mr. Richardson, I know you read this blog and for the record, I do NOT support a community agreement to allow Studio 400 to continue operating and I would urge others to do the same! It seems to me that you would be seeking community support to have this type of operation shut down. This is your first big community blunder and I hope you'll be able to dig yourself out of this one.
I will send something of the sort directly to you instead of wasting time and space ranting and raving on Frozen Tropics. Thank you.
anc6c05 homeowner
anon 932,
I was reffering to a post a while back about teenagers "loitering" in front of Studio 400 at around 4. It would stand to reason that these teens have every right to stand on the street at 4, because school would be out by then, let alone the fact that now it is summer break, and children will out at all hours of the day (Oh, the horror). It would also stand to reason that if Studio 400's mentoring concepts are valid, then these teens would either be: heading towards a mentoring event, leaving a mentoring event, or taking a break from a mentoring event. I conclude by stating that yes, you are a fool if all you see when children are congregated is trouble. Before you have a chance to be loser any further, I've seen the listserv postings, and have noted that there have been no reports of teens acting aggresively near the intersection of 4th and H. That's pretty interesting given that there is also a middle school nearby. Kids will be kids, but the kids hanging out in front of Studio 400 are not the thugs some would like to paint them on this blog. Say I'm posturing. Say I'm a bully. Say I'm full of it. What you can't say is that I don't talk to the kids on my block. How about you?
8th and El,
I agree with you that most teenagers are just hanging out in most places to have fun. At the ANC meeting, however, a number of residents detailed specific acts that teenagers from Studio 400 have done in our community, including assualting a local resident, drug use, public urination, a brawl outside the club, etc.
And yes, I talk to every single person on my block, regardless of age, race, language, etc.
My my 8th & el, sounds like somebody on here is beginning to ruffle your feathers a little bit. First we're "idiots" (7:11) and now we're "fools" (12:29). This is certainly not very neighborly and seems disrespectful.
Inked, where is everyone's outrage over this type of hostility? I find 8th & el's 12:29 comments to be completely inflammatory and offensive. Are his comments baiting or are mine?
Now for my Studio 400 comments back to 8th & el. If a bunch of teens are congregating in front of bar that's masquerading as a mentoring center, then yes, I and many others are suspicious of that activity and naturally have many questions of concern about it.
Geesh, its almost as if rational, intelligent people are afraid to speak up on here out of fear of those idiot fools... um, I mean being called an idiot fool.
Another H St. Resident
8th and El,
I noted your comments and disagree with your assessment.
Specifically, the comment: "I've seen the listserv postings, and have noted that there have been no reports of teens acting aggresively near the intersection of 4th and H."
Your comments are inaccurate, so I thought I'd fill you in.
I'm the local resident that was assaulted by patrons of Studio 400 near the intersection of 4th and H.
For the record, I happily talk to every person on my block.
people are really mixing apples and oranges here. for example, barracuda says:
"At the ANC meeting, however, a number of residents detailed specific acts that teenagers from Studio 400 have done in our community, including assualting a local resident, drug use, public urination, a brawl outside the club, etc. "
there are allegations that teenagers are attending the club? how can you ascertain the age of someone coming out of a nightclub? don't they mean "patrons" since they can't prove the age of the persons involved, absent an arrest?
i think because there is a mentoring component, people are assuming all the patrons are teenagers? when i visited the club, all the patrons appeared to be well over the age of majority, some middle aged.
anon @ 1:49 makes a comment about teenagers congregating in front of a bar...if this is literally your issue, you should realize that no one has allged that the bar is open while mentorship activities are being operated (or at least no alcoholo is sold to minors, much like how no alcohol was sold to the children at the event for toddlers (and their parents) to dance at rock-n-roll hotel). don't presume that a facility that at other times sells alcohol can't hold events for minors (even if they do sell alcohol, i think all ages events can be held on the premises as long as (obviously) no alcohol is sold to minors...much like the all ages punk rock shows at various venues for years)
being a huge youth music proponent, this entire conversation saddens me until someone can provide me with more info on actual criminal activity directly related to the venue...please provide more info on the alleged assault and the brawl...as for the other allegations: while public urination is disgusting, no bar in the city is penalized for its drunk patrons engaging in such acts...and i dont know how the venue could stop people from using drugs *away from the venue* (as in, around the corner). where is this happening? are people calling 911? what type of drug use?
i believe that all concern comes from a legitimate place, but i want to sort out substantiated accounts from hearsay, rumor, etc
Soul Searcher,
I was assaulted by a 16-year old patron of Studio 400. He and his friends were seen there both on the night of my assualt and he was picked up there two days later. The reason I know he was 16 is that his parents were called.
Soul Searcher (1:00 a.m.) said, "this entire conversation saddens me"
Soul Searcher - You sadden me. In your search, I hope you find your soul for this community soon. Now go catch up on your sleep and maybe your thinking will be a little more rational when you wake up.
- Found
Soul Searcher,
You're right--I don't know that every grevience aired at the ANC meeting again Studio 400 was directed at the teenagers participating in the "mentoring" program. Some of these problems (namely the drug use, parking violations, noise issues, etc.) could have been caused by the adult "patrons" of the nightclub portion.
But that's exactly the point--if you have a nightclub operating in conjunction with a mentoring program, everything will get lumped together.
I really wish you had been able to attend the ANC meeting. It was very informative.
The neighborhood agreement negotiated with the owner of Pap & Petey's has worked thus far. So perhaps we should give it a try. We can create an agreement which makes the owners' business plan impossible to achieve.
Big Reds
I realize this original thread is quite old, but I hope someone reads this. First, does anyone have further information about the Cease and Desist order that was issued to the owners-- specifically, what time period were they ordered to halt activity, and exactly what activities it applied to?
Also, DCRA does not support any of the questionable activities at this property. I spoke to them today on current attempts by the owners to get this property operating again. Anyone who notices ANY construction on this property in the near future is urged to call DCRA to report it (202.442.4400). In spite of the sign for a construction company currently on display at the front window, the owners currently have no building permits and with their intended business plan, will likely not be issued any building permits. (Also, lest any of the less polite posters here try to accuse this concerned neighbor/author of wrongful associations, I have no affiliation with DCRA.)
One other thing... I cannot seem to read the ANC 6C05 website/blog. I get a permission denied message telling me to contact the blog author to request an invitation. Please help.
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