San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera today secured a 48-hour suspension of the entertainment permit of a Tenderloin nightclub that he says has shown “an escalating pattern of violence and public safety problems.”
The suspension for Suite 181 at 181 Eddy St. will extend over New Year’s Eve, according to Herrera.
A superior court judge today refused to grant the club a temporary restraining order against the suspension, Herrera said.
“Suite 181 has required 190 police service calls in the preceding year alone, and the lawlessness and violence there have been escalating recently,” Herrera said in a statement this afternoon. He said the calls included shootings, assaults, sexual battery and unlawful weapons possession.
Herrera said the emergency permit suspension by the city’s Entertainment Commission “isn’t simply about protecting safety. It’s also about assuring fairness to the large majority of responsible entertainment venues that invest the resources necessary to keep their customers and neighborhoods safe.”
The Entertainment Commission had argued that there was a risk of violence or other public safety problems if the club remained open on New Year’s Eve.
The suspension of the club’s entertainment and extended hours permits is from 3 p.m. today until 3 p.m. Sunday, though the club will remain open until 2 a.m. only as a bar, according to the city attorney’s office.
A New Year’s Eve event advertised today on the club’s website today said the event was sold out, but did not mention any cancellation.
Ari Burack, Bay City News
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