You Ranted and Raved About the Closing of Buzz Compiled by M. Franco Salvoza Friday, May 21, 1999

Yes		1,071 votes	(24.7%)
No		3,262 votes	(75.3%)

This is an unscientific poll of washingtonpost.com readers.

Buzz wasn't about the drugs, it was about the love of music, of dance and of meeting new and wonderful people who share the same interests.

I moved up here to be closer to my new found family. The experience has been nothing but positive for me. I have a great job, great friends I wouldn't trade for the world, and now, no place to dance and call home.

Enough of these rave parties. Any event that condones the use of drugs or alters our childrens' minds chemically should not be allowed.

I am glad the police chief took immediate action on the issue. I would like to see a follow up on the disciplinary action that will serve to remind all officers to remember they serve the public, not the other way around.

What did Fox's "secret, investigative" reporting uncover? That today's teenage culture engages in sex, drugs, and music – a revelation that was sure to shock and disappoint the Woodstock, disco, and 80s generations. These same thousand teenagers will take their "deranged" dance culture to some different venue. Maybe it will force them back into their cars to cruise their suburban neighborhoods. Maybe they'll have to make fake IDs and try sneaking into twenty-one and over clubs now.

I was actually happy that they closed down Buzz. I decided to venture out one night to Buzz with a couple of friends who don't drink or do drugs. I was appalled at much of what I saw. Underage drinking was very prevalent. Since you don't have to be 21 to enter this club, anyone who is 21 can and was going up to this bar and buying drinks for others. There were people lining up and down the walls all on Ecstasy. I don't even think they even cared about the music. The bathroom was one big smoke cloud.

Yes, the theme at Buzz is to dance and melt the night away but to many if not most of these people that attend, I think the word "melt" is taken to the wrong level.

Shutting down Buzz doesn't accomplish anything. It won't reduce the demand for drugs, it will just force it further underground. Shutting down Buzz is like trying to heal a severed limb with a Band Aid.

I find it appalling that these young people are provided a place where they can legally participate in selling and using drugs. I find it even more appalling that they are protected by D.C.'s finest – Metropolitan Police. Selling and using drugs breaks the law.

I am 45 years old. The scene is very accepting, creative, and loving. The current music is evolving so quickly – the loss of this local scene would actually hinder the growth of this wonderfully evolving social/dance/music community. I think our Fox 5 local news team did not show any of the positive aspects of our culture. The media overblew any of the potential negative aspects of this, and could possibly have caused a setback in the spiritual growth of our community.

Pulling the plug on Buzz, isn't the issue as far as I'm concerned. The issue is sensationalistic, one-sided journalism.

In terms of safety, I've never felt more safe than I do at Buzz. It has the most peaceful and relaxed atmosphere of any social gathering I've ever been to in a major urban city. In terms of drugs, that's an individual choice.

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