Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Lawrence City Commission is taking steps to close a night club located at a site with a history of violent disturbances. The 821 Club, located at 9th and Iowa Streets, is the latest club to inhabit the building.
Lawrence police arrested three men Sunday in connection with a shooting outside the club. Another shooting happened at the same location in March, when it was under different ownership and called Club Axis.
Mayor Rob Chestnut said the city’s move to shut down the night club stemmed from the club’s failure to comply with zoning requirements. He said that the building was currently zoned for a restaurant or bar, but that its use as a night club involved more occupancy. He said changes needed to be made to the club’s parking lot and surrounding areas to bring it up to code.
“This is not a situation where the city commission is trying to shut the place down for no reason,” Chestnut said. “It’s the natural progress of them not responding to violations.”
Chestnut said that he was aware of the site’s history and the recent shooting, but that the city was focusing on the code violations for now.
“They’re two different issues. They clearly have a code violation, but the crime issues certainly call more attention to it,” Chestnut said. “They need to address these issues and address them rapidly, or we will be pursuing closing them down.”
Rich Blackmon, a consultant for 821 Club, said he thought the city’s move to close the club was motivated by racial discrimination. He said that the club catered to the small population of black students at the University and that if it was shut down, those students would have nowhere to go.
“It’s not a black and white thing with us, because we let everyone in,” Blackmon said. “But with the city, it’s obviously a black and white thing.”
Blackmon said the owners of the 821 Club were aware of the reputation of the building and had created rules to cut back on violent incidents. He said the club had created a dress code and capacity rules in an effort to reduce violence. He said the owners were working to change the perception of the club and to become more inclusive to give black students a place to enjoy themselves safely.
“We play black people’s music and we’re the only club that caters to black people,” Blackmon said. “It’s hard enough for us to be in this town and feel comfortable, so most of us just want to go somewhere and have a good time like everyone else.”
Mike White, former student and employee of 821 Club, said most violence occurred only in the parking lot of the club among people who had been denied entry. He said the club had been doing everything it could to prevent violence without discriminating against patrons.
“We are the only place in town that caters to hip-hop,” White said. “There is probably nowhere else to go that doesn’t discriminate the hip-hop image.”
Toni Wheeler, director of legal services for the City of Lawrence, said the city was working to enforce a court judgement against the club citing zoning violations including lack of adequate parking.
“This action is not related to a criminal context,” Wheeler said.
She added that the city was worried about disturbances at the site and could possibly ask the Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control to revoke the club’s liquor license. The city made a similar request to the ABC to shut down a downtown bar, Last Call, last year.
“We continue to be concerned about safety in all drinking establishments and we may pursue that remedy if necessary,” Wheeler said.
Chestnut said the city commission would also keep an eye on the situation to see if asking the ABC to revoke the liquor license would be needed.
“That’s exactly what happened with Last Call,” he said. “We haven’t pursued that, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t go down that path.”
— — Edited by David Ugarte
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