City council conducts a revocation hearing for Liv Lounge on Tuesday, April 5.

DEARBORN — The City Council is cracking down on a surge of violence occurring at the bar district in west Dearborn on Michigan Ave.

Liv Lounge, located at 21961 Michigan Ave., is currently undergoing a liquor license revocation hearing with the city.

On Tuesday, April 5, the City Council commenced the revocation hearing with Dearborn Police and representatives of Liv Lounge, reviewing several citations that have occurred at the business over the last year.

Dearborn Police responded to incidents occurring at the business more than 20 times in the last nine months.

Among the complaints at Liv Lounge include firearm discharge, drinking and driving, underage drinking, marijuana consumption inside the bar, over capacity and criminal sexual conduct.

Councilman Mike Sareini told The Arab American News that the city is concerned over the extensive amount of police resources used for Liv Lounge.

Sareini said that over the last few months, the City Council has been flooded with complaints from residents about the nuisance transpiring at the vicinity.

He noted that during one incident, the Dearborn Police Department had to call Dearborn Heights Police for assistance while they were responding to an incident at Liv Lounge, because they had exhausted all their resources.

“There’s been an uptick in incidents in the last four to six months involving a different character of violence,” Sareini said.  “There’s a difference when you get to the level where massive police resources are being used. We need to get on it immediately to ensure that our residents are safe.”

Sareini said his family ran two restaurants that served liquor and that there were restricted guidelines and protocols they had to meet.  He said as business owners, it was their duty to ensure that the operations ran smoothly.

One major trend amongst businesses that serve alcohol in Dearborn is that absentee owners acquire the liquor licenses.

Sareini said that becomes problematic because staff members end up jeopardizing the business.

“The owners of the licenses are not running the places, which is why you see these issues happening,” Sareini said. “They don’t have the same level of care as someone who is the owner.”

Sareini brushed off comments made by Liv Lounge’s attorneys that the city is only targeting the business because it attracts an urban crowd.

He said the city has gone after numerous businesses that were breaking laws and city codes.

“If you can, point to me one establishment that has half the violation they have and we didn’t do the same thing,” Sareini said.  “It has nothing to do with what people are going there. It’s about the safety of our residents.”

Liv Lounge’s revocation hearing is set to continue on Monday, April 11 at the City Administrative Center.