3 Unlicensed Clubs Shut Down After Owners Fail To Report Shootings
By Mae Rice in News on Jan 8, 2016 4:20PM
The Chicago Police Department has closed three unlicensed social clubs, all of them sites of recent violent crimes that the club owners failed to report, according to a police statement Thursday.
The closures were done under the auspices of the Summary Closure ordinance, which allows the Police Superintendent to close businesses deemed public safety threats.
When the superintendent shuts down licensed establishments, such as Bucktown’s Koncrete, they only have to stay closed for six months. Because these clubs were unlicensed, though, they can only reopen once they’ve earned licenses.
The first club in question is The Loft, on the 5900 block of S. Wentworth Ave. It was the site of a Dec. 27 double homicide. Two 28-year-old victims, a male and female, were fatally shot sitting in a car outside the club.
The second club is on the 3500 block of W. Lake St. It was the site of a Jan. 2 shooting; according to police records, 11 911 calls have been made from the club in the past year, most relating to violent incidents.
The third club is on the 3400 block of W. Harrison St. It was the site of a Jan. 3 shooting, but that’s just the most recent in its year-long string of violent incidents (and cease-and-desist orders).
None of the violence detailed above was reported by the clubs’ owners.