Teen Club Is Bounced From Downtown

Yesterday's action was taken by the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs against Abdul Productions II, which operated Platinum and owns the building.

"There has never been one incident inside the place or even outside of it," said Abdul Khanu, the license holder, who said he rented the old Platinum club to Teen Life Productions.

"What they are trying to say is whatever events have happened in Chinatown are directly related to the kids from Club Bounce. They are trying to lay the blame at the feet of the Club Bounce patrons. I don't think that's fair."

Abdul Productions II can appeal the ruling. Officials said a hearing would be scheduled within three days of the filing of an appeal.

Khanu agreed to close Platinum, a nightclub with a liquor license, to prevent permanent closure by the city after a March shooting outside the club. The city's acting attorney general, Peter Nickles, yesterday cited such incidents at clubs run by the company, including a shooting outside H2O last year, as part of the rationale for acting against the teen night.

"The owners of this license have a long and, I'm afraid, sordid past with this city," Nickles said.

For weeks, downtown residents and business owners have complained to city officials, seeking a resolution to what they described as an onslaught of teenagers crowding streets and creating an inhospitable setting with the potential for violent encounters.

"It's kind of a powder keg situation. Some of the kids are pretty aggressive and being confrontational," said Thais Austin, 48, a member of a condominium association on Massachusetts Avenue who fielded mass e-mails from complaining residents.

On a recent Saturday night, streams of teenagers filed out of the club and into the downtown streets, followed by a squad of police.

Youths said the club had plenty of security and no fights inside.

"There's not any kids that are acting the fool. Kids should be able to party like the old people do. It's the weekend," said Essence Jones, 15, an Ideal Academy student.

However, 1st Police District Cmdr. David Kamperin said that the city could not continue to commit the extra patrols. He had been a central figure in trying to broker an arrangement between the community and business.

In an interview this month, Kamperin said that most of the activity by youth was innocent "cruising," akin to wandering through shopping malls or other attractions. He said police had few enforcement options unless incidents escalated into fights or criminal activity. The Oct. 18 firing of gunshots, in the 800 block of Seventh Street NW, escalated the need for action, officials said.

Miles Groves, founding board member of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, had told city officials that the downtown area had 9 million visitors last year, contributing significant tax revenue to city coffers, and that most of the teens were not contributing to those businesses -- while they were putting themselves and others at risk with rowdy behavior.

"There's so much at risk if things go sour, and we wanted to act before it did," Groves said.