Birmingham City Council delays revoking business license of Cru Lounge

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Birmingham City Council has delayed a decision on whether to rescind a business license for Cru Lounge.

Last month, the city sued Cru Lounge over criminal activity, and Tuesday the public was made aware that the nightclub doesn’t have a liquor license.

Tuesday’s city council meeting focused on Cru Lounge for hours, with those present hearing from people both for and against the nightclub, but the council ultimately voted to return the matter to its public safety committee for further review, saying there was not enough documentation directly tying the lounge to illegal activity.

Testimony from the council’s public safety committee, which includes members of the Birmingham Police Department, described incidents of vandalism, a shooting, exhibition driving and disorderly conduct around the area.

However, it was mentioned that the city’s recent network disruption impacted some documentation and evidence the department would have collected.

The meeting also brought attention to the fact that Cru Lounge does not currently have a liquor license, with the owner saying they began the process of getting one a few weeks ago.

Several patrons and employees of Cru voiced their support for the business, still several who live in and around the neighborhoods on 1st Ave North gathered to express how the activity happening around the nightclub has them concerned for their safety.

One neighborhood president says he’s disappointed in the way the matter was handled.

“I’m disappointed in the level of due diligence that was performed ahead of this meeting obviously on both sides of the issue, people seem quite confused about what is and isn’t going on and records seem to be lacking. Just a general hope that we can do better in the future,” said Daniel Christiansen, the president of the Central City Neighborhood Association.

One of the co-owners of the lounge says he’s going to continue working to make his business safe, presenting to council members a revised 21-page safety plan.

“It will forever be a priority, then and now, priority is we keep our patrons, our customers as well as our staff safe,” said Allen Bailey, a co-owner of the nightclub.

“You know it speaks volumes when you have a business that has certain activity and you have 15 other businesses within one square block that have very similar business models meaning that it is a restaurant or bar and they’re not experiencing those types of problems coming from those businesses so I think that the evidence was overwhelming,” said City Council and public safety committee member Hunter Williams.

Williams says it’s not immediately known when the future of CRU will be revisited by the council’s public safety committee.

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