DEARBORN
– The owners of the building occupied by Liv Lounge have bought out the lease
of the business and sold the property. 

The
controversial bar, which underwent a liquor license revocation hearing with the
city, shut its doors on Monday afternoon following the sale.

Located
at 21961 Michigan Ave., the nightclub had been the subject of a string of
criminal conduct cases over the last few months. 

Among
the complaints included firearm discharges, drinking and driving, underage
drinking, marijuana consumption inside the bar, over capacity and criminal
sexual conduct.

Violent
encounters, including gang fights, have erupted near the property in recent
months. 

The
bar had been notorious for its Hip Hop nights on the weekends, frequently
hosted by 97.9 WJLB. 

Residents
had flooded city council members with numerous complaints regarding the
operations of the business. 

Dearborn
Police had also expressed concerns that the department was allocating too much
of its resources at the establishment.

The
city had also received a complaint from the Liquor Control Commission in
Lansing, regarding minors being in possession of alcohol. 

Since
March, the City Council had been conducting a revocation hearing to review over
20 citations that could’ve possibly resulted in the bar’s liquor license being
revoked.  

Cyril
Hall and Amir Makled, the attorneys representing Liv Lounge, had previously
stated that they believed the city was unfairly targeting the business and the
police department was negatively impacting the operation by increasing
patrolling in the area.

On
Monday, the council held a public meeting to discuss its next step following
the sale of the property. 

A
local businesswoman told the council that running her business near Liv Lounge
was a nightmare. She cited incidents were she was blocked off from parking in
her own lot and witnessing several city codes being disregarded daily. The woman
described the atmosphere in the area as ‘frightening.’

“We
have tolerated what’s been going on at Liv,” the business owner said. “All I’m
saying is I love my community. I love Dearborn police. They are not ruining our
businesses, they are protecting our community.”

The council voted to suspend the revocation hearing of the
liquor license indefinitely, after the attorneys representing Liv Lounge said
the new owners of the property didn’t plan on obtaining a liquor license.
 It still remains vague as to what type of business is replacing the
nightclub. 

While the closure of the bar left many local residents
relieved, some still questioned whether it was just a temporarily fix. Other
bars along Michigan Ave., have also been subjected to rowdy behavior from its
patrons. Some residents expressed concerns that Liv Lounge’s customer base
would just flow over to neighboring bars.

Council President Susan Dabaja expressed fears over the
surge of violence occurring in the area, stating that she wanted west Dearborn
to remain a safe place for families.

“I don’t want to have that concern,” Dabaja said. “There’s
nothing more precious than our children and I don’t want to put them, our
residents and police, or any people, in a situation that’s going to be unsafe.
Our Children should be allowed to go through the streets of Dearborn like we
did when we were younger.”

Councilman Tom Tafelski said he was appalled that Mayor
Jack O’Reilly and Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad weren’t present at any of
the liquor license revocation hearings. Tafelski said that the higher ranks of
the police department should’ve addressed the violence at Liv Lounge a lot
sooner.

“It was handled poorly,” Tafelski said. “Never ever,
unless it’s a catastrophic event, should residents of Dearborn living in other
areas of the city be without police presence because of one bar. That happened
on multiple occasions.”

Councilman Mike Sareini told The Arab American News that while the city is relieved to have solved the Liv Lounge crisis, it needs to closely monitor other businesses to ensure laws and city codes are being abided. 

Sareini said that the council needs to utilize its powers and budget for more resources in the police department, citing undercover police as an avenue to closely monitor the nightlife scene. The city will begin its budget sessions for the next fiscal year this week.    

“We have to continue doing our job,” Sareini said. “Now that we see
the good that’s come out of this, we can create through budgets, a task
force to make sure it doesn’t get to this level again. It’s not even close to being over, we have to continue to watch and monitor closely.”