WARREN Owner of nightclub debates closing

It's the owner's responsibility to control what happens at the club, the mayor says.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The owner of a U.S. Route 422 nightclub says he's considering closing the doors when his lease runs out in July.
Mayor Michael J. O'Brien, Safety-Service Director Doug Franklin and representatives from the police, fire, health, law and engineering departments met with Lashawn Ziegler, owner of 77 Soul, and surrounding businesses Tuesday to discuss problems that have occurred at the club.
For more than a year, police have been called to the club many times for reports of gunfire. Earlier this month, a woman was stabbed.
"It's become a safety issue and we have an obligation to address it," the mayor said.
O'Brien said Tuesday's meeting was the first to discuss problems at the club since he took office.
"We've had security guards at the club hand live shells to police officers that they found in the club," O'Brien said.
But the responsibility for controlling what happens at the business falls with Ziegler, not the city, he said.
"Mr. Ziegler is on notice," O'Brien said.
Will set meeting
The mayor will schedule a meeting with the law department to determine what avenues are available if the problems continue, he said.
Possibilities include pursuing a nuisance declaration against the club, which involves going to court.
That's what Ziegler expects to happen.
"I guess this [meeting] was just a procedure they had to go through to start the process of declaring it a nuisance," Ziegler said, adding that he didn't learned about Tuesday's gathering until Monday evening.
Because of his frustration, he says he plans to continue to operate until his lease expires in July, after which he may shut the club down.
Ziegler said he has between six and 10 security guards working at his business each weekend, but they don't have arrest authority or carry guns. A city policy prevents him from hiring off-duty city police because the club is a liquor establishment.
Where problems are
He doesn't have problems controlling what happens inside the club, Ziegler said. It's the parking lot where most problems escalate, and Ziegler doesn't know what he can do to prevent that from happening.
He points out that he can't make people come inside the club if they don't want to and he can't control what they have in their cars.
"It's like they want me to be psychic and know who's going to fight and prevent them from fighting," Ziegler said.
DiPak Dhami, owner of Travelodge adjacent to the club, has complained of noise from the club and the violence. He attended Tuesday's meeting but declined to speak to reporters.
denise.dick@vindy.com