LGBTQ+ owned businesses and bars are suffering in the face of Donald Trump’s federal takeover in Washington, D.C. as customers are staying home. Ever since Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to police Washington, the heavy police and military presence has struck fear in the city’s residents.
According to Advocate, residents are bringing their passport and identification documents just to walk to work. Mark Rutstein, co-owner of Crush Dance Bar told the outlet “this whole thing is being billed as a violent crime crackdown, but it’s just an immigration sweep.” Rutstein reports the visible presence of law enforcement not only sparked protests throughout the city, but scared customers away. Thursday and Friday sales at his bar dropped by 50-75%.
Other business owners including Dave Perruzza – owner of Pitchers and A League of Her Own – reported similar losses. “ Perruzza likened his bars to a “desert,” estimating a loss of $7,000 in one night. “Washingtonians leaving the city to avoid the chaos on top of a reduction of tourism is crippling small businesses,” Rutstein told the Advocate.
Despite the fear the Trump Administration and ICE hope to invoke in the community, business owners are still hoping their bars and clubs can be a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. Q Edwin, owner of popular LGBTQ+ underground nightclub Bunker, said “We wanted to make sure people were aware that while they’re inside Bunker, it is a safe space. But outside, that’s another story.”
Residents in D.C. have seen ICE agents and federal police circle blocks stopping people at random and asking for identification documents, some have witnessed people being taken into custody.
Without local support, the very spaces where LGBTQ+ people can feel safe during this time become threatened. “Local people should go out. Local people should do things,” Perruzza told the Advocate. “If we’re not getting the people from out of town, we really need local people to show up.”
