City won’t allow more paid youth events, citing frequent calls for police help
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on Thursday said the city has not renewed a license that would allow a Masonic lodge in Northeast to continue renting out space to host public events, citing a recent string of violent crimes linked to youth activities held at the building.
Although Masons can still meet as an organization at the King Solomon Grand Lodge on Rhode Island Avenue and hold free events, lodge members objected to the city’s action. They said officials had not properly notified them to public concerns of violence in the vicinity of the lodge.
“While the good members that run this lodge wanted to help the community and help kids, it was the license on weekends that was causing serious concerns in the community,” Attorney General Peter Nickles said.
Records showed that 114 calls for a police response within 1,000 feet of the lodge were made in the past six months.
Those calls included one for a teenager being shot in the leg, and another for a teenager being severely beaten.
And the volume of calls for service in the area hurt police’s ability to respond to other 5th District calls, Chief Cathy Lanier said.
Residents also began an online petition urging the city to close the lodge.
But Cheryl Dixon, who lives on nearby Jackson Street, said Thursday that she only learned about problems on Rhode Island Avenue by reading neighborhood blogs.
“There really needs to be more community involvement,” Jackson said.
D.C. officials on Thursday cited several ways they tried to work with the lodge to improve conditions at the events. They said police met with lodge leaders in August to discuss ways for the lodge to improve security at the weekend events.
They said the lodge never implemented any of the discussed measures.
“This establishment demonstrated a clear lack of concern for public safety,” Lanier said in a statement.
Officials also produced copies of a letter sent to lodge Grandmaster Robert J. Newby on Sept. 1, in which the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs outlined why the lodge’s license would not be renewed and how the lodge could apply for a new one.
But lodge members denied that police officials ever met with the lodge. Lodge Grand Secretary Earl Rogers also said that the lodge never received the letter or any other notice from the city concerning the public license.
“We have received no complaints,” said Rogers. “If I knew what they were complaining about, I would address it.”
