The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
City, owners spar over bars
State to consider liquor license renewals
Lorain police pled their cases against two bars that officers claim are trouble spots for the city.
However, two Lorain bar owners said the city is ruining their reputations by repeated claims their taverns are unsafe.
The owners of Bootlegger’s Den, 538 Broadway, and Luna Del Mar, 2156 E. 28th St., and city staff spent more than two hours in two hearings with officers from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.
The hearing officers did not render decisions about renewing the respective liquor licenses for Bootlegger’s Den and Luna.
They will consider the evidence and testimony
and make recommendations to the division superintendent, who will decide the cases.
City Assistant Law Director Joe LaVeck asked police Detective Sgt. Orlando Colon to present information from the stacks of police reports related to the bars from August 2016 to August last year.
In the last seven years, Lorain police have used crime analysis to target specific crimes and areas of the city, resulting in an overall reduction in offenses, Colon said.
In 2014, police began noticing increases in aggravated assaults in Lorain, he said.
Colon described how officers will stop road patrol but do “bar patrol” to monitor conditions outside the bars at closing time on weekends.
Luna and Bootlegger’s Den have become “crime attractors,” places that afford criminal opportunities and become well-known to offenders, he said.
When police investigate incidents, victims and witnesses refuse to cooperate with officers, Colon said.
Since August 2016, police logged six assaults, three weapons violations and two robberies at Bootlegger’s Den, he said.
In the same time, there were seven assaults at Luna; police learned of five shooting victims and three stabbing victims all claiming their injuries occurred at Luna, Colon said.
Much of the testimony and cross-examination dealt with an incident Jan. 6, when a fight that started inside Luna led to two men being shot in a nearby parking lot, according to Lorain police.
Ward 6 Councilman Angel Arroyo Jr. shared his experiences and read a letter from the mother of one of the men shot Jan. 6.
Luna owner William Velez countered during the hearing that the woman had approached him for money, but he refused.
Velez and his staff offered testimony in their case.
In business almost 20 years, Velez said he tries to keep his patrons safe inside the building.
“I’m trying to avoid a problem inside the building because I don’t want that,” Velez said.
When people are thrown out, Velez said he and his staff are not responsible for what happens outside.
Lorain police have not responded to requests to help out with security, he said.
Velez said he is not facing any criminal charges because he is not into criminal activity.
Instead, he argued the city is killing his business.
Bartender Alva Ruiz and her friend Veronica Matos, also testified about what happened early Jan. 6.
Ruiz acknowledged staff did not call police about the fight, but police already were up and down East 28th Street anyway outside the bars there.
“I’m not sure how we’re responsible for something
that’s outside the establishment and police are always there,” Ruiz said. “They’re ever present.”
Velez appeared without an attorney and argued the process was unfair because the city had a lawyer there.
Hearing Officer Sharon Mull said the hearing originally was scheduled for December, but was postponed because Velez legally was not notified.
Although Velez did not have a lawyer present, Mull said she would give him some lenience in making statements, asking questions and presenting evidence.
Building owner Edmond McCall of Bootlegger’s Den attended that hearing but did not speak formally to the city staff or Hearing Officer Michael Sarris.
Afterward, McCall said Ward 2 Councilman Dennis Flores, who testified in the hearing, slandered his name and the city confused him with other bar owners with the same last name.
No one died in the bar, McCall said, and no one from the city ever approached him about any of the incidents there.
If the state revokes the liquor license, McCall said he would find another business to occupy the building.
McCall claimed Flores used to frequent the bar daily.
“Right, when it was a nice place,” Flores said after the hearing.
Flores said the previous owner kept the bar secure and safe.