Petition Seeks to Save Late-Night D.C. Obama Bash

A petition signed by nearly 600 people is pressing Washington, D.C., to keep its bars open until 5 a.m. during Inauguration Week next month.

More than 250 people have signed the petition on SaveTheParties.com and another 320 people have joined the Facebook group.

The petition reads: “Mayor [Adrian] Fenty: The people voted overwhelmingly for change, and we want to celebrate that change big-time! Stand strong — don’t back down on 5 a.m. bar closings during Inauguration week.”

The drive comes after Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Robert Bennett (R-Utah) said they were concerned about the effect of the late bar closings on security.

The petition organizers said they plan to submit the petition next week.