Quote :

"RALEIGH -- Benjamin Becker was checking in about $20,000 worth of alcohol Wednesday in anticipation of a heavy holiday weekend crowd, when Alcohol and Beverage Commission officials handed him a "Last Call" notice that suspended his right to sell alcohol. There was more bad news Friday for the owner of the Envy Ultra Bar and Lounge at 3201 New Bern Ave. A judge with the Administrative Office of the Courts denied his lawyers' request for a temporary restraining order that would let the club sell alcohol at least over the coming weekend. The club, which Becker purchased eight years ago, has been under a dark cloud of complaints from the police and Alcohol Law Enforcement agents who say it attracts violence and gunfire. Those complaints have been echoed by Bill Atkinson, the chief executive officer of WakeMed, which has its main hospital across the street from the popular nightspot. "We've seen every element of trauma coming from there that you can think of - rapes, stabbing, homicides," Atkinson said. "It's an 'equal opportunity harm center.' That's business we can do without." Affidavits filed by Raleigh police Detective C.T. Penny and ALE special agent Israel Morrow noted multiple "fights, stabbings or other cuttings, assaults, gunfire and weapons violations." They cited at least three specific incidents since June 2009, the most recent a double shooting on Monday. Morrow also noted that he inspected the club, then known as Black Ties, on June 29, 2009, and spoke with Becker about the "various violent incidents that were occurring on ABC licensed premises." He said he warned Becker that he would be submitting a violation report indicating the business was an "unsuitable location to hold ABC permits." But Becker says he has made every effort to provide entertainment in a safe environment. "I want it to be the Glenwood South of the city's center," he said. Becker said he has spent about $175,000 in recent renovations to the club. He noted that after patrons pass a metal detector to enter the club, they are frisked and patted down again. Becker said he would like to do more, but people have rights. "There's such a thing as illegal search and seizure," he said. "I can't search their cars." He also pointed out that Club Envy provides between 60 and 65 part-time jobs. "Out of that, 30 are working security," he said. "And now 65 people are potentially about to be added to the unemployment mix." Becker said he started hiring private security after both the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the Raleigh Police Department turned down his requests to employ off-duty officers to work the club. He hired off-duty Wake sheriff's deputies for awhile after a fatal 2007 shooting at the club, but Sheriff Donnie Harrison stopped his deputies from working there. Phyllis Stephens, a sheriff's spokeswoman, confirmed that on Friday. She said the sheriff was concerned for his officers' safety. Becker said he went to the Raleigh Police Department before and after the 2007 shooting to request off-duty officers to provide security at his club. "I was told they would not even entertain the idea," he said. Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police spokesman, confirmed Friday that the department does not let its officers work at Club Envy. He declined further comment because of pending litigation before the state ABC Commission. Detective Penny stated in the affidavit, however, "I believe that the establishment poses a substantial risk to law enforcement officers who respond to calls to this location due to the violence that occurs there." Becker thinks there is an unfair focus on his nightspot in the context of violent crime in the Southeast Raleigh community, from which Club Envy draws its young patrons. Raleigh Police Chief Harry Dolan has targeted that area in his community policing initiative to curb gang violence. The department is among several regional recipients of a multi-million-dollar federal grant for the prevention and suppression of gang violence. Becker said when he moved to Raleigh from New Jersey in the early 1990s, he worked at first as a correction officer for the state. He later managed the old Bow Ties nightclub at the Hilton in North Raleigh and found he had a knack for providing great entertainment and satisfying customers. Eight years ago, he jumped at the chance to buy the club on New Bern Avenue. Since then he says he buys his booze the way he's supposed to, serves a good drink and pays his taxes. He says it's not about the glamour: He's got a wife, two children and an annoying little dog to take care of. "It's about the party. I try to throw a good party," he said. He said his club will close if he's not permitted to sell alcohol: "I'm done." Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/29/505969/violence-ridden-club-might-close.html#ixzz0pNghP7Pe "

5/29/2010 11:47:58 PM

No one cares. Plenty of other bars in Raleigh.

5/29/2010 11:49:41 PM

Businesses operate at the pleasure of the king.

5/29/2010 11:53:39 PM

Sounds like he is getting a raw deal.

5/29/2010 11:55:02 PM

Yeah fuck that guy, he's from New Jersey

5/29/2010 11:59:24 PM

Quote :

"on New Bern Avenue"

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 12:04 AM. Reason : +]

5/30/2010 12:03:44 AM

Fuck gangs

5/30/2010 1:48:38 AM

Quote :

"Businesses operate at the pleasure of the king."

Fuck the Alcohol and Beverage Commission officials. Fuck 'em to hell.

5/30/2010 7:31:23 AM

Quote :

"Police reports show in the last year and a half, police have been called to the club's address more than 200 times."

Doesn't sound like Raleigh will be lacking from having this place gone

Then again, maybe it kept all the assholes centralized into one location and closing it will just spead the violence

5/30/2010 7:37:12 AM

^
haha, yeah maybe. And at least they're across from a hospital

I just can't get over the fact that despite this place not being responsible for the actions of its patrons, it's being held responsible. If it's a public safety issue (harmful violence spilling outside,) the city should sue the actual people fighting to pay for additional security measures, not the business that's 100% innocent -- it's not like the place did anything.
Harmful violence in a club? Punish those that harmed, not the club.
Crime in a rental property? Punish the criminals, not the landlord.
Illegal upload on a website? Punish the uploader, not the website or ISP.
Individual responsibility. Individual responsibility. Individual responsibility.

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 7:51 AM. Reason : ]

5/30/2010 7:50:26 AM

Quote :

"an annoying little dog to take care of."

This should take care of it:

5/30/2010 7:54:02 AM

Here we go, so it's a "bad government" issue, eh? Why yes, the government should let a business continue to operate when hundreds of incidents occur. Did you think about the fact that your tax dollars have to pay for the officers that have to go over and deal with that shit? Yes, the bar owner DOES have a responsibility to take steps to help curb the violence. Hire more security, etc.

5/30/2010 8:00:40 AM

I'd rather have the place continue to operate. It keeps the riff raff from migrating to the bars where people know how to have a good time. Besides, it is across from a trauma center, prime location if you're gonna catch a stray bullet.

IBT "it's not fair to assume that all people who go to that are looking for trouble, don't let a few rotten apples ruin the reputation of an institution and its patrons....blah .....blah ....blah.

5/30/2010 8:01:10 AM

^^^
What's that got to do with anything? Is that just a weak troll attempt? OMG DON'T SHOOT THE DOG!

^
Exactly. If crime centralizes around somewhere, that helps the police.

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:02 AM. Reason : ]

5/30/2010 8:01:25 AM

If the rotten apples don't have a place to congregate, they might not come out at all. Safety is achieved without harm.

5/30/2010 8:04:53 AM

^^^^
No dude. It's not black and white. Incorrectly insisting that I see that way, then arguing against that is called a straw-man. It's not a "bad government" issue, it's a "bad vs. good government" issue. Police watching for and making arrests for violent crime is good government. Beuracracies that warp the natural chain of responsibility -- essentially people in robes, or the king, saying the innocent business is hereby not innocent, by act of law -- is bad government.


^
Wrong.

5/30/2010 8:08:02 AM

^^yes that's usually indicative of their behavior. Ever heard of the Supper Club on Atlantic Ave?

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:12 AM. Reason : ,]

5/30/2010 8:10:48 AM

^^ If the government continues to see harm coming from a place, yes, they should step in and shut it down. The government is in the business of protecting the public, and they're going to do it as they see fit. Saying "wrong" doesn't make your argument any better.

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:12 AM. Reason : lol libertarians]

5/30/2010 8:12:00 AM

Quote :

"Did you think about the fact that your tax dollars have to pay for the officers that have to go over and deal with that shit?"

Yes, and I 100% support that use of my taxes. I love it when you stupid liberals forget that we true Americans (fiscal conservatives,) only oppose unjust taxation. Taxes for the government to operate as it's supposed to (police, courts, military, etc.,) aren't a problem. BUT YOU LIBERALS LOVE TO THINK WE'RE A BUNCH OF ANARCHISTS.

Quote :

"Yes, the bar owner DOES have a responsibility to take steps to help curb the violence. Hire more security, etc"

Only because the law makes them -- which it shouldn't. It is simply not the bar owner's responsibility for what other individuals willfully do themselves.

5/30/2010 8:13:24 AM

Quote :

"the city should sue the actual people fighting to pay for additional security measures"

Spend millions suing hundreds of people that likely have little money to pay for visits from the police or close down the club that is hosting the need for these police visits to begin with. I know which one the average city is going to choose.

That said, I don't know if the place should be shut down. If these are gangs getting into fights that's going to happen one way or the other. At least this way it's across the street from the hospital

5/30/2010 8:13:24 AM

Quote :

"What's that got to do with anything? Is that just a weak troll attempt? OMG DON'T SHOOT THE DOG!"

Still showing us how much of a fucking retard you are. Glad to see you're still at it. If you're too dumb to see that the article was trying to throw in some lame-ass pity card about his family and pet and realize that my response shows how little I care about his fucking situation, then please, just logout of this site and never return. You won't be missed.

5/30/2010 8:15:22 AM

Quote :

"I love it when you stupid liberals forget that we true Americans (fiscal conservatives,) only oppose unjust taxation. Taxes for the government to operate as it's supposed to (police, courts, military, etc.,) aren't a problem. BUT YOU LIBERALS LOVE TO THINK WE'RE A BUNCH OF ANARCHISTS. "

Ooooookay, and you just jumped off the Sarah Palin deep end. Time to put tdub down for a bit and go have some breakfast, kid.

5/30/2010 8:16:14 AM

Quote :

"we true Americans (fiscal conservatives,"

Pretty sure anyone eligible for an American passport is a true American.

5/30/2010 8:16:46 AM

Quote :

"If the government continues to see harm coming from a place, yes, they should step in and shut it down."

No. Wrong. They should enforce the law (you know, the ones addressing the harm you mentioned,) and not make unjust new ones.

Quote :

"The government is in the business of protecting the public, and they're going to do it as they see fit."

Well, obviously so.
That's why the biggest movement in America right now is one that opposes that "fit".

Quote :

"Saying "wrong" doesn't make your argument any better."

It's not supposed to. I'm just informing you that you're wrong -- because you are.

5/30/2010 8:18:21 AM

not surprised that this club is getting shut down. I can think of a few others that need to be shut down... though they're not quite as bad

5/30/2010 8:19:16 AM

^^ Most of what you just said is made up, fyi. Excellent attempt to back yourself up without substance.

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:19 AM. Reason : Bill!]

5/30/2010 8:19:29 AM

what? this was simply the most dangerous club in Raleigh. There are a few more bars behind it...

5/30/2010 8:20:38 AM

I wasn't addressing you, you just jumped in before my reply.

5/30/2010 8:21:43 AM

ah, carry on then.

5/30/2010 8:22:00 AM

Quote :

"Pretty sure anyone eligible for an American passport is a true American."

No. Technical American, but not true. We practice a wonderful, albeit controversial, legal culture. Strange that those that disagree with it goes as far as to advocate its extinction. You'd think liberals would have more tolerance for cultures other than their own.

Quote :

"Most of what you just said is made up, fyi. Excellent attempt to back yourself up without substance."

What are you talking about? Do you base your thought on the status quo? Dumb.
When someone says something like, "Smoking pot isn't a crime.", then someone like you chimes in with, "Actually it is. You just made that up. No substance to your claim, fyi.", you're missing the point. They're saying that said behavior shouldn't be, or naturally isn't, or intrinsically isn't a crime. Obviously they're not misreading the law.

Quote :

"At least this way it's across the street from the hospital "

qft

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:29 AM. Reason : lol fascist liberal bigots]

5/30/2010 8:26:53 AM

^ No, you're missing the point.

5/30/2010 8:28:28 AM

NO, YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT. (I can say that, too. )

5/30/2010 8:29:36 AM

That's about as much as you're contributing to the thread, so I don't feel my responses require any additional effort to rebut you. Whatever credibility you had got washed away when you decided to use that Sarah Palin "real americans" bullshit.

5/30/2010 8:30:54 AM

I hate Sarah Palin.
(Just goes to show that you're a "guilty-by-association" bigot... just what democracy needs )

Quote :

"the article was trying to throw in some lame-ass pity card about his family and pet and realize that my response shows how little I care"

Fair enough. I've been trolled lately, so I didn't know...

[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:35 AM. Reason : ]

5/30/2010 8:35:12 AM

I'm equating you to Sarah Palin because you've both said equally unintelligent bullshit.

5/30/2010 8:38:59 AM

Well, then, you fail.

5/30/2010 8:39:46 AM

No, you fail.

5/30/2010 8:40:22 AM

No, you fail, lol.

5/30/2010 8:41:32 AM

No, you!

5/30/2010 8:41:56 AM

While I disagree with what you say, sir.... I'll defend to the death your right to say it.





[Edited on May 30, 2010 at 8:45 AM. Reason : ]

5/30/2010 8:43:42 AM

Anyone else remember the Brent Road Party crackdown??? How about the 100 thousand times you have been stopped by "under cover" alcohol law enforcement agents around campus??


It seems like the area around that club would be a good place for the cops to pickup wanted gang members, illegal guns, etc.

I am just playing devils advocate, I realize eventually people would be killed there which is what they are trying to avoid.......but I do not understand why a block party with a bunch of college students can mobilize every local law enforcement agency to close down an entire area of town and this place harbors gang violence and they will not go near.

5/30/2010 9:10:07 AM

Quote :

"I just can't get over the fact that despite this place not being responsible for the actions of its patrons, it's being held responsible."

the business certainly is responsible for what happens there, i don't know how you think they are not. they were given multiple opportunities to fix things and did not, this has been on-going since it was black ties.

5/30/2010 10:27:51 AM

^^ Because then Al Sharpton would come to town screaming bloody racism

5/30/2010 10:35:10 AM

i came in here to post

Quote :

"I'd rather have the place continue to operate. It keeps the riff raff from migrating to the bars"

5/30/2010 1:05:59 PM

Quote :

"and this place harbors gang violence and they will not go near."

drunk college students are easy pickings. a club that has a greater than average chance of their patrons performing illegal acts? that would mean that they would have to do work and it wouldn't be easy. not a fan of hard work i guess.

Quote :

"they were given multiple opportunities to fix things and did not, this has been on-going since it was black ties."

just going by the article. it mentions that they have more security, metal detectors and pat downs. what else did you want them to do? illegal search and seizure? kinda against the law to start digging in their cars. if local law enforcement is scared, then i guess they just want clean up duty.

5/30/2010 1:14:29 PM

Quote :

"haha, yeah maybe. And at least they're across from a hospital I just can't get over the fact that despite this place not being responsible for the actions of its patrons, it's being held responsible. If it's a public safety issue (harmful violence spilling outside,) the city should sue the actual people fighting to pay for additional security measures, not the business that's 100% innocent -- it's not like the place did anything. Harmful violence in a club? Punish those that harmed, not the club. Crime in a rental property? Punish the criminals, not the landlord. Illegal upload on a website? Punish the uploader, not the website or ISP. Individual responsibility. Individual responsibility. Individual responsibility. "

you're an idiot.

5/30/2010 1:19:04 PM

lousy Obama

5/30/2010 1:29:57 PM

If you read the statute under which they are revoking his license, it is framed as not so much a condemnation of the club itself but of the area in which the club is located.

So, they're not saying - "this club causes violence so it must be shut down"

They're saying - "this area is too violent to allow alcohol to be sold"


Please note, I'm not making an argument for or against this rationale. I'm just responding to the people who are saying, "why blame the owner - he's got metal detectors, etc." well, they're not blaming him.

5/30/2010 1:36:53 PM

so are they shutting it down or keeping him from serving alcohol?

if he throws such a great party then he can still make money w/o the booze... right?

5/30/2010 1:37:04 PM

"This is why we can't have nice things" would be an appropriate reaction from the New Bern Ave. community.

5/30/2010 1:38:49 PM