Brightest Young Things

Last Monday, an email of complaint was sent to the landlords of the DC Mini Gallery, which as you know is owned by Michael Harris, who is in the great band the Laughing Man. This email got the cops involved who sent  underage spies into the venue and, though NO alcohol was present at the space, it was shut down and all shows in August were effectively canceled.

This is what the email said:
"Is there a current occupancy permit on file for this address? This address was a clothing/seamstress store until about 8 months ago. Now, the space appears to be a dance club or night club. On Friday   at 8 pm, there were about 50 people in there in their mid-20s.

The front of   this address was wide open and the entire back door was open to the alley.   The people there were loitering in the alley and parked blocking the alley   and into the intersection on 14th at Crittenden. I have see musical   instruments being unloaded into that property. This address has the potential   to be come a nuisance with all of the people who loiter outside in large   number.

Is there a pending application for a liquor license on   file?

Thanks for your assistance. "

********************************************************************

So I found Micheal and he told me everything.

Who sent the email, dude man?

I'm not going to share the name of the emails author at this time. What I will say is that it made my stomach turn. I could tell from the tone of her writing that she pretty much wanted to put me out of business. I felt like she was jumping to all sorts of conclusions and misinterpreting the situation so I wrote a really long response about myself and what we are trying to do at the gallery. A couple other people had already replied to her with positive endorsements that we meant no harm, but apparently this wasn't satisfactory.

So is it one person giving you trouble?

I believe she called the cops initially on friday but we were able to squash that. On wedensday (July 22nd) I arrived to open the gallery for a show and I was told by a neighboring business owner that I should "look out" because I'm on the radar of the wrong people.

Was this the kind of show where under age people were throwing up all over each others butts while a slam poet kills animals through a megaphone?

It was a pretty mellow show in our downstairs area, but later that night towards the end two cops showed up with a couple city investigators. They confronted me about permits, I showed what I had and was told it was the wrong permit for an event of this nature. Thus the party was broken up and I was faced with 40 or so confused kids on the street outside my gallery (and a couple parents of band members there for the show) being told by cops that I had to be closed down because I didn't have a permit. Apparently, the original complaint was that I was seen behind an open bar that night serving liquor to underage kids.

Were you?

There was no liquor or beer in the gallery and I dont even have a bar, so clearly the person who filed the complaint was either mistaken or trying to get us busted and/or shut down. I also noticed that around the time I coincidentally stepped outside and saw the cops there, two kids were sent in from off the street presumably to spy on me or attempt to buy alcohol. I believe this because as I was talking to the cops, the two kids who had not previously been at the party before said to me in passing "sorry man they made us go in".

What happened to kids telling cops to eat bags... anyway... so permits?

Here's the thing, I did have the wrong permit so I accept responsibility for what happened. However, (and I would have told this to the complainer had she bothered to ask or return my email) I have been trapped in a labyrinth for over 6 months trying to become compliant with the cities various codes and laws. It's really disappointing that they make the process so confusing. You can get completely different information from people in the same departments depending on what day you happen to be there. I just can't believe there isn't a liaison or someone who can walk you though the process. I'm sure that is why most young business's get destroyed within the first year. My biggest mistake was being naive. I got frustrated and I decided to do things my way, but I should have gotten better information or reached out to someone more familiar with how things work in DC. Had there been someone to guide me earlier I would have saved a lot of time and money, so now I'm going by the book and asking for help. It's frustrating because the gallery is doing really well other than the bureaucratic aspect, but I think now I understand the game so it will be easier for me to play. And I will attempt to apply for a liquor license soon, hopefully we will not be judged negatively because of this incident.

What happened to the month's worth of shows that you had planned for bands from all over the country?

I have canceled or rescheduled all of the shows and exhibitions I had booked for August, and that sucks because it was a lot of work and we really had some interesting things that you won't see anywhere else in DC. We are still having yoga and folks can come by and look at our vintage clothes and jewelry. I just thought it was best to not risk any fines and try to get things straightened out before we try and do events again. We usually attract a big crowd and I don't want to have another incident like the other night which was embarrassing and discouraging for me and my guests. I don't want to give the impression that the gallery is doomed or finished. This will be a brief interruption, but I think if we can raise enough  this month and handle all the necessary renovations quickly things will be fine.

What renovations?

Before all this happened I already had alot of ideas on making the gallery much more enjoyable for everyone. So this gives me a chance to do that, I'm really gonna make it amazing in there. I'm talking arcade games and shit. I even plan on adding lockers and storage racks in the basement for painters using the gallery as art studio, and things like that. It's gonna be really cool. And I'll try to add in our original idea of a specialty tea and chai menu for the fall if i can do it.

So should we hate the DC police for this?

For the record, I thought the cops and officials who broke up the show were pretty nice and helpful once they realized I wasn't getting kids drunk in my gallery. I didn't get arrested or assaulted and so far haven't received any fines. So I have no issues with them, I feel they handled the situation professionally.

Also, I have to mention something. People talk shit about the DC music scene..but one day after I announced trouble, almnost all my shows for that week were picked up by good people at Girl Cave and Kansas House and others, and bands were offering to play shows to help me raise money. So I want to thank them. It shows we are really building a strong music community here in DC and I have alot of love for these folks.

How are you going to bounce back...I mean how can we, the populace HELP YOU?

We just created a web page and have a paypal button where folks can click and donate to the gallery. Your money will go towards rent, utilities, repairs, and rennovations. I personally hate asking for money, but unfortunately since I had to cancel August events the gallery will have to shut down if I don't ask for donations. The site is www.dcminigallery.com, i am asking for a donation of $50-$100 but i know it's hard these days to even pay for your own stuff so feel free to contribute what you can. I'm applying for grants but until those come in it's gonna be tough for me.

Did you feel like Henry Louis Gates?

LOL, no I don't really feel like Prof. Gates..for all i know the lady who called the cops on us was black so i can't say it was racism. Apparently, unhappiness with young people hanging outside a business is something that all the races can agree upon. So in that way I guess we are bringing the community together. Seriously though, there are some racial elements to this...I mean I've heard black people who are unhappy with me because I haven't been hosting events that typically cater to that community. But I've also heard about white people who think my gallery is an eye sore and they would much rather see something more corporate in that space like a starbucks or something. The thing is we have yet to receive a complaint about noise or disturbance, it's all been about asthetics. So I don't know..I never set out to be public enemy #1.

I just wanted to open a dope art gallery. I think if people in the neighborhood give me a chance it will turn into something really special they can be proud of. I just need a little patience. For the most part our neighbors have been extremely supportive and encouraging, but there is defintely a group that wants me out. It's sad that people would want to crush me, I've been open less than a month. And I'm just a young guy trying to support a family and make something of myself...why would you want to destroy that just to open another fedex kinkos?

Fuck kinkos man.

Previously in I Heart DC:

• 2/22: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/21: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/17: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/16: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/15: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/14: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/14: 101 Reasons To Love DC-Part 2
• 2/13: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use:
• 2/13: 101 Reasons To Love DC-Part 1
• 2/10: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use