CLAREMONT — A nightclub that was the site of a deadly brawl three years ago will soon transform into a Thanksgiving food drive hub, then back into a nightclub full time, according to a South Bronx pastor.
Pastor Reggie Stutzman, who heads up the Real Life Church in Hunts Point, had been hoping to transform the former Tropicana nightclub at 1061 Home St. into a food pantry, and although the venue will instead become another club called El Morocco, he will still get the chance to give away Thanksgiving staples at the site on Nov. 21, he said.
The giveaway will start at 3 p.m. and go for as long as supplies last, which Stutzman predicted would not be very long. Items will consist of 250 turkeys and 250 grocery bags filled with canned vegetables, canned beans, cranberry sauce, V8 drinks and a box of stuffing.
"Every person who shows up gets one turkey and one grocery bag," Stutzman said.
The now-vacant Tropicana has a rather controversial past, as it was the site of a massive brawl between rival gangs in August 2013 where many people were slashed and reputed gang leader Juther Perez was hit over the head with a hookah pipe.
Perez lapsed into a coma and died roughly one week after the attack, and Bronxite Melvin Davis was convicted of manslaughter for the attack in June, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office.
El Morocco will be replacing the Tropicana permanently, and it should be ready to open by the first week of December, according to Albania Rosario, who will be the director of events at the venue.
"We’re pretty much ready to go," she said. "We’re just figuring out a couple of things that have to be taken care of before we can officially be open."
The building is owned by the Anthony Avenue Corporation, which could not be reached for comment.
Stutzman said he is still working to find another place for a food pantry in the South Bronx and might be able to make something work at a location by Tiffany Street and Spofford Avenue, but he cautioned that he was not sure yet if this would ultimately work out.
In the meantime, he was happy to get a chance to give away food for the holidays at the former Tropicana site and hoped to be able to hold similar events there in the future.
"I’m very grateful they at least opened their doors to us for this one time event," he said. "They didn’t have to do that."
