Despite the emergency closure of a popular Northeast D.C. club last weekend due to a fight, club violence is not a serious threat, according to D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
Lanier closed down The Martini Lounge on the night of Oct. 27, after a man stabbed another man he had gotten into a fight with.
As of Oct. 29, the owner of the Martini Lounge, Clifton Humphries, was awaiting a hearing about the club’s liquor license.
The emergency closure is not in any way an indicator that D.C. clubs have recently become unsafe, Lanier said in an e-mail.
“I have used my authority for emergency club closures only a few times in the last few years,” Lanier said. “To put this in perspective, there are over 1,000 licensed restaurants, bars and clubs in [D.C.]”
Lanier also noted the Metropolitan Police Department has not seen a significant rise in club violence in D.C.
News of the fight at the Martini Lounge came as a surprise to the managers of local clubs and hangouts frequented by AU students. Kathy, the manager of Hawk ‘n’ Dove who declined to give her last name, said she has never seen a fight break out at her bar.
Manuel Ruiz, the manager of Guapos, said he has seen “a couple of small fights break out between students at Guapos’ large AU parties.”
However, Ruiz has never had to get the police involved in any incidents.
Hannah Rubin, a freshman in the School of Communication, said she has never been in a situation where she felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a D.C. club.
“I was at a club once where there was some sort of controversy, but it got resolved pretty quickly because there were a lot of bouncers at the club,” Rubin said. “Now I typically only go to clubs in large groups, and I only go where I know there will be bouncers.”
Lieutenant Rina Sifri, the crime prevention and rape, aggression and defense coordinator for the Department of Public Safety, said Public Safety has not recently received any reports of fights involving AU students in D.C. clubs. However, Public Safety would be notified if the MPD had to respond to an off-campus incident involving AU students.
Students can avoid club fights or emergencies by following a few simple rules, Sifri said.
“Know where security officers and bouncers are,” she said. “Always know where the exits are in case of any kind of emergency. And definitely do not go to bars in bad neighborhoods.”
Students should avoid getting into disagreements that could quickly escalate into violence, Sifri said.
“Understand that people will bump into you, but it’s not something to start a fight over,” she said. “Don’t get offended — just apologize and move on.”
Sifri said if students are ever caught somewhere where they do not feel comfortable or safe, they should not hesitate to use Public Safety’s Safe Ride Program. Through this program, students can call a cab and have Public Safety pay for their cab charges once they get back to campus. Public Safety will then put the charge on the student’s account.
The Safe Ride Program ensures AU students will never have to be stuck in the unsafe parts of D.C., she said.
“No one should ever have to feel like they have no way to get home,” Sifri said.
You can reach this staff writer at jryan@theeagleonline.com.
