Fox 5 Incident and Aftermath
Buzz was shut down temporarily in 1999 after Fox 5 (Washington, D.C.) WTTG reporter Elisabeth Leamy broadcast murky hidden camera footage purportedly showing drug use at the party during sweeps week. Henry and DeGeyndt filed a suit against Fox 5 and a settlement was reached out of court.
On September 18, 2002, Buzzlife Productions issued a press release stating that due to "increased pressure from the DC Government, the United States Military and the United States Federal Government, Buzzlife Productions announces that its weekly event, Buzz will no longer take place in Washington, DC, effective immediately.
"A two and a half year investigation of DC nightclubs was launched by the military to supervise the off-duty hours of their local personnel. Unfortunately, the irresponsible behavior of a few triggered a large-scale clampdown on all military nightlife activities. In early September Nation nightclub was declared off-limits to all servicemen. However, the “witch-hunt” was not over.
"In an unprecedented move, the United States Military and the DC Police Department joined forces to share information and resources targeting both the Friday night event Buzz and the nightclub Nation. Innocent patrons were harassed and Nation management was threatened with legal action that could result in the loss of their liquor license.
“'It is unfortunate that events that cater to the youth of America historically become targets of government agencies,' comments Amanda Huie, Buzzlife Director of PR and Marketing. 'As leaders in this industry, we will not allow Buzz to become a scapegoat, and in essence, tarnish all electronic dance music events.'”
Buzz relocated to Baltimore at Redwood Trust for about a year, and returned to Nation in 2003 as Cubik.
Buzz persevered despite an anti-rave climate, leading a petition drive to defeat the RAVE Act, and despite Department of Defense rules restricting military personnel from attending Buzz and Velvet Nation, the gay party held at Nation on Saturday nights.
Read more about this topic: Buzz (DC)
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