CHICAGO — A new law giving police the power to immediately shut down any business for "posing a threat to public safety" has resulted in just six closures since it was implemented last year.
Backed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the so-called "problem bars" ordinance was approved by the City Council in May as aldermen sought to "improve neighborhood quality of life and ensure public safety."
“We have heard from residents in our neighborhoods who want irresponsible business owners held accountable when they put public safety at risk, and this additional enforcement tool will help us accomplish that," Emanuel said in a press release when the ordinance passed.
But since then, the new law has resulted in the closures of just five bars and a gas station, according to the Chicago Police Department. The number of shutdowns is far fewer than the 698 assaults, batteries and weapons violations reported at hundreds of bars and restaurants throughout the city since the law passed nine months ago, according to the city's crime data portal.
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The ordinance, introduced by Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), was proposed in response to shootings and other violent crimes associated with bars and restaurants in and near Downtown. But information from the police department shows that the businesses actually shut down by the ordinance were isolated to the South and West sides, as well as the shuttered Koncrete club near Goose Island.
These businesses were closed through the ordinance, according to police via the Freedom of Information Act:
• The Game, 4310 S. Prairie Ave., in Bronzeville was shut down Sept. 19, 2015 after two people were shot a day earlier inside the sports bar. When authorities arrived they noticed the bar was operating with an expired liquor license and "elevated" carbon monoxide level, police records show.
• Falcon Fuel Gas Station, 300 S. Cicero Ave., in Austin was shut down Oct. 22 after its manager failed to report an argument between drug dealers at the gas station that immediately preceded a murder, according to police. The altercation was caught on the gas station's surveillance tape.
•Koncrete, 1675 N. Elston Ave., in Bucktown was closed Dec. 23 after a fight that resulted in the killing of a 21-year-old woman.
• An unlicensed social club at 3457 W. Harrison St. in Homan Square was shut down last month for operating without a license and a shooting, according to police. Police suspect the club is still operating despite the city order.
• Garfield Social Club, 3526 W. Lake St., in Garfield Park was shut down last month after a shooting, police records show. Police also suspect this club is still operating despite the city order.
• The Loft, 5923 S. Wentworth Ave., near Washington Park was shut down last month after several incidents, including one in which two people were shot dead in a car after leaving a party at the club, according to police records.
Under the ordinance, Chicago police can "immediately" close a business associated with violent crime for up to six months. The owner can request a hearing, in which he or she would present a plan to reopen in a way "that will ensure public safety," according to the ordinance. The city can approve such a plan within six months or seek to close the business permanently.
The idea was introduced just two days after a fatal shooting at The Dolphin, 2200 N. Ashland Ave., which has since reopened under a new name despite political pressures to close it entirely. Riff Music Lounge, 2239 S. Michigan Ave., in the South Loop, reopened as a music venue and sports bar called Baseline after a fatal shooting last year. Red Kiva, 1108 W. Randolph St., in the West Loop was also shut down by the city after a fatal shooting nearby last year, and hearings are ongoing. None of the three bars were closed due to the new ordinance.
Reilly did not return a message seeking comment. The mayor's office deferred questions about the ordinance — formally called the "summary closure" ordinance — to the city's law department, which deferred questions back to police.
"Summary closure is just one of the tools in our arsenal to combat crime in Chicago, we don’t rely on it to be the sole silver bullet," Frank Giancamilli, assistant director of news affairs for the police department, said. "Everyone in Chicago is responsible for public safety."
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