Local
Gays arrested; police seize crystal meth, cash in Shaw raid
Man and boyfriend arrested in massive sting
Members of the D.C. police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit assisted officers with the First District police Vice Unit in a Nov. 23 raid on a house in the cityās Shaw neighborhood that resulted in the arrest of two men on drug-related charges.
A police charging document identifies the two men as boyfriends and police sources said drugs found in the house were identified as crystal methamphetamine.
Neighbors reported that police used a battering ram to force open the door of the house at 901 S St., N.W., as nearly a dozen police cars arrived on the scene. Witnesses said police later escorted two men in handcuffs out of the house and into a police car, where they were taken into custody.
A police complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court says police charged Nicholas H. Fittro, 27, with unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneyās office said the office dropped a similar charge against the second man arrested at the house, Justin W. John.
A police affidavit in support of Fittroās arrest says police āreceived information that an individual named Nicholas Fittro was selling methamphetamine from inside his residence located at 901 S Street, N.W. Based on that information Officer M. Fanone obtained a D.C. Superior Court search warrantā¦to search the entire premises.ā
The affidavit says officers forced their way into the house after the two occupants didnāt respond when police knocked on the door and announced in a loud voice that they had a search warrant to enter the premises.
āOnce inside, officers encountered Nicholas Hilliard Fittro and Justin Wayne John who were standing in the living room,ā the affidavit says. āMr. Fittro was identified as the lease holder for the property and Mr. John was identified as his roommate and boyfriend. Both individuals identified bedroom #1 as being theirs,ā the affidavit says.
It says a search of the bedroom and other locations in the house turned up 12 separate items deemed relevant to the case. It says the first item, found in a metal cabinet drawer in the bedroom, was a āclear plastic bag containing approximately 11.3 grams of a white crystal substance, a portion of which field tested positive for amphetamines.ā
The affidavit says various quantities of the same white crystal substance that tested positive as a form of amphetamines were found in three other locations in the house. It says police also found, among other items, a āblack digital scale and silver cup containing a white crystal residue,ā $2,511 in cash, and an undisclosed amount of foreign currency and money orders.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneyās office said the office never discloses its reasons for dropping charges against defendants. But the police affidavit in support of Fittroās arrest says Fittro later waived his Miranda right to remain silent before consulting with an attorney and āclaimed ownership of the contraband which was recovered from inside the house.ā
A law enforcement source who spoke on condition of not being identified said Fittroās assertion that he was the party responsible for the drugs appears to have prompted the U.S. Attorneyās office to dismiss the charge against his boyfriend.
Marie Haldane, Fittroās attorney, said neither she nor Fittro would comment on the case at the present time. The next court hearing on the case is scheduled for Dec. 14 in Superior Court.
Court records show that Fittro was released on his own recognizance while awaiting trial.
Josh Riley, an addictions specialist for Whitman-Walker Health, said crystal meth use and abuse remains a serious problem within the cityās gay male community. LGBT community leaders across the country have long called for stepped up programs to address crystal meth use within the LGBT community.
Virginia
Man went on āhomophobic rantā inside Va. pub that displayed Pride flags
Suspect arrested on charges of public intoxication, assaulting police officer
The Hawk & Griffin British Pub located in Vienna, Va., posted a message on Facebook last week saying a man was arrested after going on a āhomophobic rantā inside the pub on June 28 when he saw that LGBTQ Pride flags were displayed at the pub for Pride month.
āLast night we had an incident here at the pub when a man came off the street to accost patrons in our beer garden because of our flags displayed for pride month,ā the Hawk & Griffin Facebook posting says. āHe then spit on our windows and came inside to confront our staff and patrons with homophobic rants,ā the posting continues.
āOur manager and staff handled the situation very professionally and police were called to investigate and later arrested a man a couple of blocks away,ā the message says. āWe want to thank the Vienna Police Department for their quick response. We are and will continue to be community focused and we will never stop working to create and maintain a place of inclusion and tolerance,ā the statement concludes.
Vienna police charged Justin Wayne Hendricks, of no known address, with misdemeanor counts of being ādrunk in publicā and providing false identification to a police officer and with a felony count of assault on a police officer. A police spokesperson said Hendricks was also found to be in violation of an outstanding arrest warrant from Alexandria, Va., related to a prior charge of failing to register as a sex offender.
The spokesperson, Juan Vazquez, said Hendricks is currently being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Online records for the Fairfax County General District Court show that Hendricks is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 9.
āOn Friday, June 28, around 9:28 p.m. the Vienna Police Department responded to reports of an intoxicated individual threatening customers of the Hawk & Griffin,ā a Vienna police statement says. āUpon the arrival of the officers the individual had already left the premises but was promptly located at an address nearby,ā according to the statement.
The statement adds that Hendricks was subsequently charged with being drunk in public, providing false information about his identity to police, and assault on a police officer along with being served with the outstanding warrant related to the prior charge in Alexandria of failing to register as a sex offender.
Details of the prior sex offender charge couldnāt immediately be obtained from online court records. However, the online records show that Hendricks has at least a dozen or more prior arrests between 2014 and 2023 on charges including public intoxication, trespassing, and failing to register as a sex offender.
Police spokesperson Vazquez said it would be up to prosecutors with the office of the Fairfax County Commonwealthās Attorney to determine if a subsequent hate crime related charge would be filed in the case.
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
Activists across Virginia last month held a series of events to mark Pride Month.
Hampton Roads Pride, a volunteer-run organization founded in 1997, held 37 different Pride events throughout the region in June.
Their biggest event, PrideFest, which is part of their larger three day event, Pride Weekend, celebrated its 36th anniversary on June 22. Pride Weekend took place from June 21-23 and began with a block party at NorVa in Norfolk.
PrideFest took place at Town Point Park, and an estimated 30,000 people attended. More than 70 venders participated, while Todrick Hall and Mariah Counts are among those who performed.
Another PrideFest event with a DJ in the afternoon and live music at night took place in Virginia Beach on June 23. Congressman Bobby Scott and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are among those who attended Pride events in Suffolk on June 30.
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, along with members of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Councils, also attended the Pride events in their respective cities. Jamar Walker, the first openly gay federal judge in Virginia, also took part.
āYou know people all throughout Pride Month, at all of our various events, tell me all kinds of stories about their own experiences and the past of this community … and some of our older folks especially, remember when we couldn’t have this,ā Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
āIt was a great year,ā he added. “It was a big achievement for us to have unique celebrations in each of our seven communities. Each of these cities is so different from one another, but to be able to create a Pride celebration that’s unique in each of those places was really great, and I think really well received by folks who may not have felt represented previously. We’re always trying to do better, to embrace every aspect of our community, and take a big step forward there this year.ā
State Dels. Adele McClure (D-Arlington County) and Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington County) are among those who spoke at Arlington Pride that took place at Long Bridge Park on June 29. The Fredericksburg Pride march and festival took place the same day at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on June 10 hosted a Pride Month reception in Richmond.
Youngkin in previous years has hosted Pride Month receptions, even though Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups have criticized him for supporting anti-LGBTQ bills.
The Republican governor in March signed a bill that codified marriage equality in Virginia. Youngkin last month vetoed a measure that would have expanded the definition of bullying in the state.
Baltimore
Baltimore street named in honor of trans activist
Iya Dammons is founder of support groups Safe Haven in Baltimore, D.C.
Baltimore city officials and LGBTQ activists participated in a ceremony on June 29 officially dedicating the renaming of a street in honor of transgender woman Iya Dammons, who founded and serves as executive director of the LGBTQ services organization Maryland Safe Haven.
A section of Baltimoreās 21st Street at the intersection of North Charles Street, where the Maryland Safe Haven offices are located, has been renamed Iya Dammons Way.
The ceremony took place six years after Dammons founded Maryland Safe Haven in 2018 and one year after she launched a Safe Haven operation in D.C.in 2023 located at 331 H St., N.E.
A statement on its website says Safe Haven provides a wide range of supportive services for LGBTQ people in need, with a special outreach to Black trans women ānavigating survival modeā living.
āThrough compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,ā the statement says. āOur programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,ā it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scottās Office of LGBTQ Affairs Alexis Blackmon, and Dominique Morgan, an official with the national foundation Borealis Philanthropy, which provides financial support for transgender supportive nonprofit organizations, including Safe Haven.
āThis is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,ā a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. āIya Dammons has been a tireless advocate for transgender rights and has worked tirelessly to provide safe spaces and resources for transgender individuals in our city,ā it says. āThis honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.ā
-
Canada3 days ago
Toronto Pride parade cancelled after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt it
-
Baltimore5 days ago
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Prideās LGBTQ critics say organizers dropped the ball
-
Politics2 days ago
HRC slams White House over position opposing gender affirming surgeries for minors
-
U.S. Supreme Court2 days ago
Concern over marriage equality in US grows two decades after first Mass. same-sex weddings