I've heard Greensboro club owners speak of it for 30 plus years but in Club owners question possible security ordinance by YES! Weekly's Eric Ginsburg we see the problem in black and white:
“It’s not about going after particular clubs or particular people,” Clark said, adding that some owners had a positive working relationship with the city. “These are areas were we’ve experienced consistently criminal activity. A lot of club security seems to take the approach that if something happens inside the club, push it out the door and it becomes somebody else’s problem.”
Previously Eric wrote:
"The city has used Chapter 19 of the General Statutes to close down nuisance venues like illegal massage parlors in the past, Rossabi wrote to Clark and council in August, and could use it to target venues with security problems. Rossabi represents Rocco Scarfone, who has a stake in two affected venues, among others, and called the ordinance unnecessary and unlawful."
Not only could the City use Chapter 19 to target venues with security problems, the City of Greensboro has a 30 plus year history of doing so. And rightfully so. A wild bar I used to love to hang out in was ordered closed by the City circa 1976 because of a shooting there. It was called the Golden Gate Lounge and was located in the Golden Gate Shopping Center. It wasn't the last club closed by the City because it was deemed a public nuisance.
Now let's rearrange a few sentences-- shall we?
A lot of club security seems to take the approach that if something happens inside the club, the city has used Chapter 19 of the General Statutes to close down nuisance venues and could use it to target venues with security problems so why not push it out the door and it becomes somebody else’s problem?
You see, Greensboro club owners have long expressed concerns that calling the Greensboro Police Department to help them when problems get out of hand will end up being a black mark against their club. And when a club gets too many black marks then GPD and the Greensboro City Council considers that club to be a nuisance venue and begins proceedings to shut it down. Rather than encouraging club owners to do the right thing and involve the police as quickly as possible, Greensboro chooses to punish club owners who do the right thing then punish them again when things get so far out of hand they cannot be brought back under control.
I'm not a really big guy, but I have worked part time as a bouncer. I know the drill.
And what does Police Chief Ken Miller, Councilman Zack Matheny and Police Attorney Jim Clark suggest club owners do now? Have known gangsters like Rocky Scarpone bring in more of their New Jersey mafia thugs to work security in Greensboro's clubs just like Rocky tried at Plum Crazys before the local bikers kicked their punk asses! Rocky's big dumb oafs won't even be able to read the security-plan manual, much less come up with a plan.
Now why do you think Zack, Ken and Jim want to encourage more mafia types to come to Greensboro?
