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The D.C. government is targeting violence and underage drinking at nightclubs by suspending more licenses of businesses found to have problems.

This year, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has temporarily suspended the licenses of 94 nightclubs and permanently closed two others. Last year, the board issued 138 suspensions but did not close any clubs.

The board closed Smarta/Broadway nightclub on Ninth Street NW as a result of a fatal shooting there last year. It also shut down Lime, which was on Half Street SW, near the new baseball stadium. Lime lost its license after its owners were caught selling alcohol after approved hours and extending operating hours, officials said.

Owners of Platinum, a once-trendy spot on F Street NW, avoided being permanently shut down last week by agreeing to close on their own. The establishment's license was suspended in March after a shooting outside the club.

Club Five, another popular spot in Northwest Washington, has been temporarily shut down while authorities investigate a Memorial Day weekend stabbing.

The increased enforcement comes nearly a year after various nightclub owners and city officials, led by D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), agreed on security improvements.

The effort came in the wake of the January 2007 shooting death of Taleshia Ford, 17, a bystander hit by gunfire at Smarta/Broadway, also known as Club 1919.

"The Taleshia Ford case was a terrible tragedy, but it gets to the point of what we have to do. And that means, in part, more aggressive investigators," said Peter B. Feather, the alcohol control board's chairman.

To bolster the seven-member board, council members voted in the fall to give its investigators an additional $225,000.

Some of the money was used to hire four investigators, bringing the staff to 17. The board also added financial incentives: Investigators can earn as much as $12,000 more a year if they are promoted.

Last year, the board typically met once a week and carried a backlog of 40 to 50 cases a month. This year the board is meeting as frequently as three times a week and has a monthly backlog of 72 to 226 cases.

Club owners have raised questions about the increased enforcement. The city would be better served, they say, by having investigators work with owners when problems arise.

"I think oftentimes they go too far or overboard in issuing penalties," said Skip Coburn, executive director of the D.C. Nightlife Coalition.

Club owners charged with infractions are often treated as though they are "guilty until proven innocent," and decisions are made at times without thorough investigation, Coburn said.

"We are very concerned about the aggressive stance the board is taking in suspending or closing down these clubs, which just puts dozens of employees out of work," he said.

Control board members are waiting for an updated security plan after the May 31 stabbing of a male patron at Club Five at 1214 18th St. NW. Board officials said they will then decide whether to reopen the club.

Platinum's trouble stemmed from a couple of fights that broke out March 15.

A person involved in one of the fights sprayed bullets into the air outside the club, hitting two clubgoers, according to police. Police and the board ordered Platinum closed.

Abdul Khanu, Platinum's owner, said he decided to give up his license and close the club after nine years in business.

Had the board taken away his license, he could have been forced to give up another club he owns, H2O in Southwest.
Khanu also agreed with the board that he would not operate more than one liquor-selling establishment at a time.

But H2O is on borrowed time because of plans to redevelop the Southwest waterfront, he said. By next fall, Khanu said, he hopes to open his newest club, the Big Chill, in the old Hecht's warehouse on New York Avenue NE.

"Across the board, it's definitely tougher to own a nightclub here than it used to be," Khanu said.

"There are more restrictions, and you're held to a higher accountability. More eyes are on you. There's a lot more pressure."

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"The favorite American pastime is not baseball, it's moral crusades."