Today the on-going tiff between Vegetate and Shiloh Baptist Church in Shaw gained mainstream media attention. Well, sort of.

Washington Times columnist Adrienne Washington reporter Amy Dolittle today explores the two sides of the conflict in the wake of the city’s recent decision not to grant the vegetarian restaurant a liquor license. City officials based their decision on an existing law forbidding the sale of alcohol within 400 feet of a school. One point of Vegetate’s restaurant lies within 334 feet of one point of the property of Seaton Elementary School, though from door to door the distance exceeds 900 feet.

Washington writes that Council-member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) is looking to change how those measurements are made and enforced, a move that would finally allow the vegetatian restaurant to acquire it’s long-desired liquor license. Churchgoers are none-too-happy with the idea, noting that while local liquor stores are closer to the school than Vegetate, they cannot sell alcohol on Sundays, like the restaurant would. Said one of the faithful, apparently pulling off her best Helen Lovejoy impression:

They’ll be selling liquor from what time to what time and that probably will increase the crime. We want to protect our children from that.

Not to knock the concerns Shiloh’s flock, but we’re relatively certain that Vegetate’s Sunday brunch won’t turn into a breeding ground for a new generation of young District criminals or alcoholics. After all, we don’t know of many criminal enterprises that are hatched over mushroom and kale soup, spinach lasagna, and Bloody Marys.