Cops, council look to reign in after-hours clubs associated with teen violence

The Metro Police Department has teamed up with a pair of Metro councilmen to crack down on after-hours clubs in Nashville, which officials say are a public safety hazard that have operated unchecked for far too long.

The April 30 shooting outside Second Avenue's Club Mystic "which left four people injured on a night that was supposed to be a celebration for Nashville teens" was the final straw for Metro Councilmen Adam Dread and Mike Jameson.

Earlier this week, the pair introduced a bill to force any club that charges patrons to drink on the premises to be treated and held to the same standards as Nashville's highly regulated bars, restaurants and clubs that are allowed to sell their own alcohol. By requiring clubs such as Mystic to register with the Metro Department of Codes, the bill would also give the Metro Police Department the authority to spot-check the establishment for violations, as police can currently do with bars.

"My law would say to anyone operating an after hours club that you are held to the same standards as any other barkeep, in terms of committing or aiding crimes of moral turpitude," said Dread, an at-large member of the Council. "I'm not letting thugs run our bars."

Jameson, whose 6th Council District encompasses Second Avenue and portions of Lower Broadway, said he readily agreed to co-sponsor the bill in regard to the complete lack of cooperation Metro Police have been getting from after-hours club owners. "We are at the point of no return. These are operators of private facilities that are not, as of this day, required to obtain permits, and so they can refuse admission of police officers at the door, at that's what they do," Jameson said, who added the bill has garnered strong support from downtown merchants and other bar and club owners. Jameson said that despite the fact that the bill would actually have to be amended upon its second reading before the Council, which is scheduled for Tuesday night, he and Dread hope to see it passed before the Council adjourns. "The amount of good will that these after hours clubs enjoy in the Council could be measured in a thimble," Jameson said. "I'm fairly certain that the council will agree as a body to some version of this legislation." Don Aaron, the spokesman for the Metro Police Department, said the bill has the full support of Chief Ronal Serpas. In fact, the department has been working closely with the Council to write the bill, Aaron said. "At our suggestion, Councilman Dread was able to incorporate into the legislation a provision that would require club owners to submit security plans to the police department for its review and approval," said Aaron. "That would allow the police department to spot check and make sure those provision are being carried out." Serpas has been quick to publicly chastise the owners of after-hours clubs for refusing to return phone calls of police officers investigating crimes "many of them violent" committed on or near club property. Police are hoping the new legislation will put an end to that frustrating lack of communication.

By Jared Allen

From The Nashville City Paper, Nashville, TN, USA