Small Victory for Comet Ping Pong at ANC Meeting
Monday night, a large crowd gathered at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F monthly meeting to ponder a series of proposals from Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis. The crux of the matter: a request by Alefantis to lift a voluntary agreement between his business and the commission regarding the operation of his restaurant.
But the larger than usual crowd was a sign of things to come (or a sign of what had already passed), and what started out as a community meeting quickly devolved into a flurry of blind accusations, threats of censure, and many an unkind word toward those involved.
The voluntary agreement in question was created two years ago, when Alefantis approached the ANC about opening Comet. Notably, the agreement requires Comet to close at 12 a.m. and bans live entertainment (other than "soft background music").
Photo by jim_darling
Alefantis and his legal representative, Andrew Kline, outlined a proposal to, at a minimum, lift the agreement so that Alefantis may apply for a new agreement with the D.C. ABC Board. This all requires the blessing of the ANC 3F to go forward. A draft list of proposed changes includes: extending Comet's hours to 2 or 3 a.m., outdoor seating until 12 a.m., and live music. Alefantis hopes for open mic nights, private parties, and a partnership with Politics and Prose, among others. According to Alefantis, he and his patrons view Comet as a "community center."
The complaints against Alefantis and Comet started early. Amid chuckles, groans, and rolling eyes from the crowd, Commissioner Karen Lee Perry rattled off a list of evidence including reviews on washingtonpost.com, a YouTube clip of a performance by The Apes in the restaurant, and online ads for live music shows that took place at Comet over the past year, all of which proved that the restaurant has been regularly violating the voluntary agreement in place. She also said that Comet has shown a disregard for the 12 a.m. closing time and, despite the presence of a large crowd, scolded Alefantis not giving enough public notice or doing enough placarding for that night's proposal announcement. In response, Alefantis said, "A restaurant is an organic entity. The nature of a business is determined by the community; it changes on a daily, hourly basis."
But it wasn't until Commissioner Frank Winstead's interjections that members from both sides became really riled. Winstead, whose stance was already widely known from his investigative YouTube video of Comet's formerly outdoor ping pong table, accused Alefantis of, "trying to turn this area into Adams Morgan with the murders and rapes," and, "filling up his fat wallet." He also made assertions that the restaurant wasn't up to D.C. health codes and directly asked Alefantis if he had ever spit in a customer's food.
Much of the spite continued on to the end. One attendee chastised the crowd behind her for never bothering to show up to any other community meetings, while another had several less than polite words to share about Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher, who has lambasted the ANC and Winstead for hampering local businesses.
In the end, the commission voted 4-3 to lift the voluntary agreement, but stopped short of approving any other provisions until another meeting with proper advance notice given to the community. Despite the minimal win, the meeting ended in cheers and a celebration at Comet.