Rediscovered 2008 Article - DC Official: Outdoor Seats At Comet Ping Pong Will Mean Rape and Murder

D.C. Official: Outdoor Seats At Pizza Place Will Mean Rapes And Murders

The Washington Post - June 18, 2008

When a Washington neighborhood commissioner staged a nighttime surveillance of a Northwest pizza place and put the resulting video up on YouTube to prove what a threat to public safety an outdoor ping-pong table posed, the image of a ping-pong ball rolling out onto Connecticut Avenue was chilling enough.

But this week, that same commissioner, Frank Winstead, ratcheted up the scare rhetoric in a big way: At a meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F Monday night, in front of the largest crowd in the ANC's history, Winstead accused the owner of Comet Ping Pong of seeking to turn this quiet stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Forest Hills into a haven for rape and murder.

The crowd of about 100 residents--mainly fans of the pizza place--fell into an uproar and drowned out Winstead following this exchange, which you can hear for yourself on the audio recordings of the meeting:

A supporter of Comet addressed the commission, which was considering owner James Alefantis's application to extend his opening hours deeper into the evening, provide musical entertainment inside his restaurant, and add a patio for outdoor seating out front. The woman asked the commissioners why they would want to restrict Comet and other local businesses so that she has to travel 25 blocks away to find a late-night place for food and drink. "Why am I denied the privilege and the pleasure of a venue less than a block and a half away?" the resident asked.

Winstead, who has taken it upon himself to act as the guardian of clear and quiet streets in his section of Northwest Washington, replied: "Safety. James is trying to turn this into Adams Morgan, with the murders, the rapes...." At this point, the crowd's roar overwhelmed the commissioner's remarks.

voices.washingtonpost.com...

Murders and rapes being pointed out in 2008. The more you investigate, the more you find. Its getting harder to deny Pizzagate. Here is a decent well put together video for those that are unfamiliar with Pizzagate.Relevant ATS Threads:
PIZZA GATE: James Alefantis Owner of Comet Ping Pong Answers Questions From Protesters
Blatant Pedo symbol in music video by Comet Pizza band
Pizzagate Map visually detailed, & Video that explains it, puts it together. Calm & well done
Reddit Pizzagate shut down
Is Pizzagate an actual "thing" or is it limited to ATS & a few other sites
DC Pedo Ring Being Exposed - Democrats and Clinton
Reddit user Claims to have Connected PEDO ring to DOJ
More Stunning PIZZAGATE connections: Encrypted data discovered in Pizza.jpg

So what does a random heckler's outburst prove? That he reads reddit or ats?

edit: removed my snotty comment after actually reading the post.

The last paragraph from the 2008 article is interesting.

The trials and tribulations of life in leafy upper Northwest simply never cease to amaze--imagine, college students singing on their way home late at night. Could there be another community in the nation wracked with such problems? A ping-pong table on a sidewalk, a pizzeria that wants to put up outdoor seating, and of course, all those murders and rapes that naturally follow if people are permitted to dine after midnight. Surely there must be some solution to these urban ills.

originally posted by: Voiceofthemajority
yay ...another pizzagate thread that proves nothing.

edit: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist but I respect the fact that this is important to you so let me turn this into a question. So what does a random heckler's outburst prove? That he reads reddit or ats?

If you consider a D.C. Commissioner a random heckler. Pizzagate wasn't a thing back in 2008

Were the Russians at work planting news in 2008? Someone sure has had a grudge against that Comet Ping Pong pizza guy for a long time!

originally posted by: gmoneystunt

originally posted by: Voiceofthemajority
So what does a random heckler's outburst prove? That he reads reddit or ats?

If you consider a D.C. Commissioner a random heckler. Pizzagate wasn't a thing back in 2008

I stand corrected, somehow I didn't see that aspect of the story. Ok, that is admittedly somewhat odd... still doesn't prove anything but it is peculiar.

originally posted by: gmoneystunt

D.C. Official: Outdoor Seats At Pizza Place Will Mean Rapes And Murders

The Washington Post - June 18, 2008

When a Washington neighborhood commissioner staged a nighttime surveillance of a Northwest pizza place and put the resulting video up on YouTube to prove what a threat to public safety an outdoor ping-pong table posed, the image of a ping-pong ball rolling out onto Connecticut Avenue was chilling enough.

But this week, that same commissioner, Frank Winstead, ratcheted up the scare rhetoric in a big way: At a meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F Monday night, in front of the largest crowd in the ANC's history, Winstead accused the owner of Comet Ping Pong of seeking to turn this quiet stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Forest Hills into a haven for rape and murder.

The crowd of about 100 residents--mainly fans of the pizza place--fell into an uproar and drowned out Winstead following this exchange, which you can hear for yourself on the audio recordings of the meeting:

A supporter of Comet addressed the commission, which was considering owner James Alefantis's application to extend his opening hours deeper into the evening, provide musical entertainment inside his restaurant, and add a patio for outdoor seating out front. The woman asked the commissioners why they would want to restrict Comet and other local businesses so that she has to travel 25 blocks away to find a late-night place for food and drink. "Why am I denied the privilege and the pleasure of a venue less than a block and a half away?" the resident asked.

Winstead, who has taken it upon himself to act as the guardian of clear and quiet streets in his section of Northwest Washington, replied: "Safety. James is trying to turn this into Adams Morgan, with the murders, the rapes...." At this point, the crowd's roar overwhelmed the commissioner's remarks.

voices.washingtonpost.com...

Murders and rapes being pointed out in 2008. The more you investigate, the more you find. Its getting harder to deny Pizzagate. Here is a decent well put together video for those that are unfamiliar with Pizzagate.

Relevant ATS Threads:
PIZZA GATE: James Alefantis Owner of Comet Ping Pong Answers Questions From Protesters
Blatant Pedo symbol in music video by Comet Pizza band
Pizzagate Map visually detailed, & Video that explains it, puts it together. Calm & well done
Reddit Pizzagate shut down
Is Pizzagate an actual "thing" or is it limited to ATS & a few other sites
DC Pedo Ring Being Exposed - Democrats and Clinton
Reddit user Claims to have Connected PEDO ring to DOJ
More Stunning PIZZAGATE connections: Encrypted data discovered in Pizza.jpg

Let's get one thing clear before this turns into a multi-page thread: nobody was POINTING OUT rapes and murders, as you claim was done, but was instead referencing an uptick in crime in the Adams Morgan neighborhood and claiming it would happen if the pizza joint was allowed to stay open late, like establishments in Adams Morgan do.

The commissioner made a smartass comment about the pizza joint "trying to turn the neighborhood into Adams Morgan, with the rapes and murders." He also claimed the owner spat in people's food. And was chastised by colleagues for his behavior.

A little context here: Adams Morgan has a massive bar and club scene and is "hopping" well into the wee hours of the morning. The neighborhood went through a surge in crime in 2007-2008. And then police responded to it and drove the crime rate back down.

So the commissioner,who appears to be one of those people that wishes D.C. was still a sleepy little swamp town on the Potomac, was pointing to crime in Adams Morgan and saying it would happen in their neighborhood if the pizza place was allowed to stay open late. He was not revealing some insider information about murders and kiddie rape happening at the pizza place.

Great thread demonstrating why context freaking matters.

originally posted by: Shamrock6

Let's get one thing clear before this turns into a multi-page thread: nobody was POINTING OUT rapes and murders, as you claim was done, but was instead referencing an uptick in crime in the Adams Morgan neighborhood and claiming it would happen if the pizza joint was allowed to stay open late, like establishments in Adams Morgan do.

The commissioner made a smartass comment about the pizza joint "trying to turn the neighborhood into Adams Morgan, with the rapes and murders." He also claimed the owner spat in people's food. And was chastised by colleagues for his behavior.

A little context here: Adams Morgan has a massive bar and club scene and is "hopping" well into the wee hours of the morning. The neighborhood went through a surge in crime in 2007-2008. And then police responded to it and drove the crime rate back down.

So the commissioner,who appears to be one of those people that wishes D.C. was still a sleepy little swamp town on the Potomac, was pointing to crime in Adams Morgan and saying it would happen in their neighborhood if the pizza place was allowed to stay open late. He was not revealing some insider information about murders and kiddie rape happening at the pizza place.

Great thread demonstrating why context freaking matters.

Seems like you took this thread as a personal attack on yourself. I was only saying that the article was pointing out a D.C. commissioner talking about comet pizza, rapes and murders. Its not my fault that you take things the wrong way. You might want to back away from the coffee for a bit. Context does matter. Understanding that there are numerous ways to take things in text form "freaking matters" as well.

a reply to: gmoneystunt

Lulz. So weird how the only response you can muster is a lame attempt at scornful derision.

Sorry that living the in the D.C. area in 2008 allowed me to call you on your "pointing out murders and rapes" spin game.

a reply to: gmoneystunt

Murders and rapes being pointed out in 2008. The more you investigate, the more you find. Its getting harder to deny Pizzagate. 

What exactly is it that you think you found? A pompous commissioner fear mongering over some ridiculous idea that allowing a pizza place to remain open late would increase the crime rate--specifically murder and rape--in their area like he alleges it did in another neighborhood back in 2008? How did you manage to dredge that up and somehow think it pertains in any way to this ridiculous "pizzagate" sideshow?

Your own source blatantly and clearly states the precise reasoning that this commissioner was using as a basis for restricting business hours, and that reason was his personal opinion that late business hours with outdoor seating would encourage violent crime. That's it. No pedophiles, no murdered people, no secret pizza code words or child trafficking or rape or emails...absolutely zero connection to that whatsoever.

You need to pick a topic here, because the two sources in the OP are completely unrelated, and any connection between them is simply imaginary. Your OP source material could not possibly make that more clear.

a reply to: gmoneystunt

Sounds like Obama's Mont Blanc pardon
pen is going to be all worn out by the time he's done with all thay duty. The pardon he signs for himself, that ought to make for great meme material.......

a reply to: gmoneystunt

This kind of thread gives conspiracy a bad, bad name.

a reply to: gmoneystunt

After reading the replies, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this OP makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: gmoneystunt

Lulz. So weird how the only response you can muster is a lame attempt at scornful derision.

Sorry that living the in the D.C. area in 2008 allowed me to call you on your "pointing out murders and rapes" spin game.

I like how you call it a spin game. Did the article point out that a DC Official: Outdoor Seats At Comet Ping Pong Will Mean Rape and Murder? Are you having a tough time understanding the context of this thread?

originally posted by: tigertatzen
a reply to: gmoneystunt

Murders and rapes being pointed out in 2008. The more you investigate, the more you find. Its getting harder to deny Pizzagate. 

What exactly is it that you think you found? A pompous commissioner fear mongering over some ridiculous idea that allowing a pizza place to remain open late would increase the crime rate--specifically murder and rape--in their area like he alleges it did in another neighborhood back in 2008? How did you manage to dredge that up and somehow think it pertains in any way to this ridiculous "pizzagate" sideshow?

Your own source blatantly and clearly states the precise reasoning that this commissioner was using as a basis for restricting business hours, and that reason was his personal opinion that late business hours with outdoor seating would encourage violent crime. That's it. No pedophiles, no murdered people, no secret pizza code words or child trafficking or rape or emails...absolutely zero connection to that whatsoever.

You need to pick a topic here, because the two sources in the OP are completely unrelated, and any connection between them is simply imaginary. Your OP source material could not possibly make that more clear.

What I found? A DC commissioner said that the owner of Comet Pizza is blatantly allowing his restaurant to turn into a haven for rape and murder. Even after knowing they are already in a dangerous neighborhood. I don't need you to go on to explain what the article says. Unrelated sources? Is pizzagate not about rape and murder??

originally posted by: tigertatzen
a reply to: gmoneystunt

Murders and rapes being pointed out in 2008. The more you investigate, the more you find. Its getting harder to deny Pizzagate. 

What exactly is it that you think you found?

He thinks he found a paragraph that features Comet Ping Pong and rape in the same paragraph, that someone else found by searching "comet ping pong" and "rape", and clicking page 10 of the search results.

a reply to: gmoneystunt

this bollox is why i cannot take " pizza gate " seriously

a reply to: Shamrock6

Great point, well made.

Context is everything. Without it, meaning itself becomes impossible to attach to anything at all.

Has the accuser "commited suicide" yet?

originally posted by: gmoneystunt

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: gmoneystunt

Lulz. So weird how the only response you can muster is a lame attempt at scornful derision.

Sorry that living the in the D.C. area in 2008 allowed me to call you on your "pointing out murders and rapes" spin game.

I like how you call it a spin game. Did the article point out that a DC Official: Outdoor Seats At Comet Ping Pong Will Mean Rape and Murder? Are you having a tough time understanding the context of this thread?

I'm calling it what it is: you're attempting to spin his comments about rape and murder as somehow being about the pizza place, and they aren't.

Since spin is the act of giving a biased interpretation of an event, and thas exactly what you're doing here, calling it spin is no more than calling a spade a spade.

Which is likely why you haven't, and won't, refute anything I said but will instead continue your limp-wristed flailing at me on a personal level.