CITY HALL — A public nuisance meeting on a troubled Bucktown nightclub brought demands Thursday that it be shut down, including from the local alderman who said, "I've had enough."
At the meeting at City Hall, police said that one security guard at Los Recuerdos, 2315 W. Fullerton Ave., was arrested on a warrant while working, and in another incident, a guard stood by as a gang member opened fire on cars in front of the club.
Los Recuerdos, a nightclub and bar at 2315 W. Fullerton Ave. only recently reopened after a 10-month shutdown sparked by an October 2013 incident in which rapper Slamma was shot six times in front of the club.
On Sept. 6, just days after reopening, the club was again the scene of gang violence in which cars were fired upon.
"While we wanted to give them an opportunity to be a part of the neighborhood, to me they've failed once again, and three strikes is enough for me to say I'd rather see this place closed down," 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespeck said at the public nuisance hearing, the club's third.
"From my perspective, I've had enough. I had enough a long time ago," he said.
After the October shooting, Waguespack put Los Recuerdos into the city's deleterious impact/public nuisance process, which requires club owners to draft a plan of operation and work with the city to correct problems.
In November, after the Slamma shooting, the city found building code violations at the 119-person capacity club.
Thursday's meeting was held to examine whether the nightclub had complied with the guidelines to reopen, which included notifying police of concerts and performances at the club, using only approved promoters for events, attending CAPS meetings and resolving security problems.
In the most recent incident, an unapproved promoter was hired, and security stood a few feet away as gang members loitered in front of the building before eventually opening fire, according to Shakespeare District police.
It was later revealed the shooter, identified as Victor Torres, was the brother of the unapproved promoter, Chicago Police Sgt. Joseph Giambrone said during Thursday's hearing held by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
Michelle O'Connor, who attended the hearing, said she had considered visiting the bar with friends on the night of the 2013 shooting.
"We thought, 'Why not go to our local club?' And man, am I glad we didn't go," O'Connor said. "We decided then and there that this has to stop. I was appalled now with another incident — shooting. I'm angry. I'm out of words, and this has to stop."
The case will be referred to the Chicago Law Department for sanctions, a process that could take months. The restaurant will be allowed to open while the case moves forward, officials said.
The co-owner of the club, Jonathan Arango, has said the shootings were not connected to the club and that "the violent acts could happen anywhere in Chicago."
He is trying to be a good neighbor, he said.
Some Bucktown residents who attended the meeting were encouraged by the case being referred to the Law Department.
"I felt like the city is definitely creating a solution to help the community. I'm satisfied to know that the next step will shut down [the restaurant], but the rest seems foggy," said Brett Mackie, 38.
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