And With That, I Rest My Case

Local blog 14th & You has been doing a pretty good job of keeping tabs on the conflict between nightclub The Space and ANC2F, as any quality neighborhood blog would do. But proceedings between the two took an interesting twist when, during the ANC's monthly meeting last week, the proprietors of the much-maligned hotspot at 9th and N Streets used a comment from 14th & You's post on the subject to solidify their club's case.

Mr. 14th & You explains:

The evidence against the club--consisting of numerous photographs, voluntary agreements and contracts, and the testimony of numerous neighbors--was immense, and a spirited defense by the club would be needed in order to stave off ANC action.

Which is why it was so perplexing when the club's lawyer approached the commission and began reading from a printout of this blog. That's right, 14thandyou was introduced as evidence in support of the Space. Why was this blog brought up Wednesday night? Well, so that their lawyer could read a quote from an anonymous commenter who likened living in Shaw to living in Adams Morgan--in other words, don't complain about the noise from the club ya yuppies.

Now, commentariat, don't take this personally, as we love you to bits -- but, really? Who in their right mind thought that quoting an anonymous commenter as evidence was a good idea?

The allegations against The Space consist of a laundry list of issues, some fairly minor -- like being over-capacity on most weekend evenings -- to the strikingly major: the owner allegedly assaulted a neighbor whom he believed called the police on him to report noise violations. Of course, as one would expect, the remainder of the hearing went south, devolving into a series of slammed gavels and shouted expletives as the club owner fruitlessly attempted to plead his case. The result? The ANC is expected to take some sort of disciplinary action against the club, the details of which are still being worked out.