Owners, Afro Dogs club dispute building’s closing

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The building owners said the publicity could hurt their business.

YOUNGSTOWN — The owners of a building being used as a motorcycle club and club members say they were treated unfairly by city officials when they were permanently ordered out of the building.

A city official, however, is standing behind his decision to close the dwelling.

According to police, officers received word of people partying and dancing on a lit-up dance floor in the building at 725 Steel St. The Afro Dogs motorcycle club had been calling the building home.

Police say the building is on the city’s demolition list and ordered the club members to get out. Officers cited numerous violations at the building and found a stolen motorcycle inside. The building was then closed as unsuitable for use.

Ondrea and Shasta Shabazz, owners of the West Side building, said the city jumped the gun in closing it, making them look bad as property owners in the process. The couple own and operate a property maintenance, management and rental business.

“My biggest complaint in this is that this will deter people from dealing with you if they are thinking you don’t make repairs when you are suppose to,” said Ondrea Shabazz. “We don’t do that.”

Shabazz said he obtained work permits to make repairs on the Steel Street building and had several weeks left to finish making those repairs when the city came in and shut it down. He said members of the Afro Dogs Motorcycle Club were doing some repair work before the club bought the building.

Chuck Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, said there was work being done on the electric and plumbing at the building, but that work was being done without the proper utility permits.

He said the responsibility to make the repairs and keep people out of the building until they are made falls on the owners and not the motorcycle club as potential buyers of the property.

“From a building standpoint, they [Afro Dogs] were basically occupying the building illegally,” Shasho said.

Charlene Jones, business manager for the motorcycle club, said any club members in the building were there only to make repairs. She said the group was attempting to get the building ready before actually using it for any public purpose.

“We were working on doing the right thing, to get things done. We did fall behind, but we were working to get these things done,” said Jones.

Jones said the club is working with an attorney to find a suitable facility and make sure all legal avenues are covered.

Shasho said the city maintains it was right to close the building, and any argument against that action would be a matter for the courts.