Rhode Island Insider

As many of you have been following, we have had some disruptive party goers infiltrating our neighborhoods to go to King Solomon’s Temple at Rhode Island Ave and Thayer St NE. Luckily, several residents of the Woodridge community have taken it upon themselves, along with the help of MPD, to bring a remedy to this situation. Many of the comments from DC government have been such that show things moving ahead.

In regards to their public hall and liquor license, Councilman Harry Thomas declared:

i have taken action in regards to this and seeking immediate revocation.

And another email from a resident who met with the ABRA Director stated:

ABRA would no longer be giving Alcohol licenses to the 2245 Rhode Island location

In addition to all of this, according to this email, the DCRA as well declared that they are investigating an employee who was illegally issuing month-to-month license to this establishment.

So everything taken care of?

NO. According to the fine officers of the MPD, last night (August 29) the King Solomon’s Temple was again hosting a party where they claimed that an ABRA-issued license was only needed if they were selling alcohol. Luckily for us, having no license means you cannot even consume it. So they were shut down, according to the police, before they even started. A report has also been filed to record this infraction.

It appears that the members of the King Solomon’s Temple learned their lesson of hosting underage teens on Friday nights (for now), but they have subsequently moved to Saturday nights and hosting parties for older crowds ….which, they will soon learn, will not be tolerated either.

Oh, and if you are a member of the King Solomon’s Temple (which is not affiliated with the Order of the Eastern Star, which they claim on their building…I have personally spoken with the grand chapter of the Order to confirm this), several reporters have been attempting to reach out to you. Please make yourself available…they are curious on what you could possible mount as a defense to your inexcusable actions.

We recently noticed a “for sale” sign go up behind the strip center at the 2000 block of RI Ave NE. An inquiry to the realtor revealed that it is for 2062 RI Ave NE, which is the Irie Island Cafe restaurant….but the description the realtor noted was that the last known use for the location is a church. Surprise anyone? No? I didn’t think so.

Rhode Island Ave is full of either liquor stores or store-front churches. Hopefully, whomever buys the 2062 RI Ave NE for the $450k asking price, will open a nice FAMILY themed restaurant we can all enjoy. This location, by the way, is next door to where the DECCA Group wants to put a “restaurant” that stays open to 3am with live music. We all know how late night bars and clubs turn out around here (read: King Solomon’s Temple).

I know that the community is going to be watching this closely to ensure we don’t get sub-par redevelopment.

What will you tell him?

MEDIA ADVISORY
August 10, 2009

Contact:

Victoria A. Leonard
202. 727. 8204 (desk)
202. 403. 7866 (cell)
vleonard @ dccouncil.us

Thomas Launches “Councilmember on Your Corner”
Initiative Provides Outreach to Residents During Council Recess

Washington, DC – Ward 5 Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. is launching his summer recess initiative, Councilmember on Your Corner, on Thursday, August 13, 2009 in the Queens Chapel neighborhood. From 5 pm to 7 pm on August 13, Councilmember Thomas and his staff will be at the intersection of Eastern and Michigan Avenues, NE to discuss issues and concerns with residents.

Future dates and neighborhood locations for Councilmember on Your Corner are:

Monday, August 17 – Brookland, 12th and Monroe Sts., NE
Tuesday, August 18 – Bloomingdale, 1st St. and RI Ave., NW
Wednesday, August 19 – Lamond Riggs, Lamond Riggs Library,5401 South Dakota Ave., NE
Thursday, August 20 – Langston Carver, location TBD

Each event will occur between 5 pm and 7 pm.

“While I have an open door policy and meet with all residents who come to my office, not everyone has the flexibility or time to make the trek downtown” says Councilmember Thomas. “Councilmember on Your Corner provides residents with an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns with me without having to leave their neighborhoods. Plus, I enjoy being out in the Ward,” notes Thomas.

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Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. represents Ward 5 on the Council of the District of Columbia. Thomas chairs the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. He sits on four additional committees: Workforce Development and the Environment, Aging and Community Affairs, Housing and Workforce Development, and Public Services and Consumer Affairs.