By Jamal Thomas
The Montgomery City Council voted to close the YuBar at a special Show Cause Hearing this morning. Out of the 7 Councilors present, 5 voted unanimously while Oronde Mitchell and Audrey Graham abstained from voting.
Councilors Tracy Larkin and Richard Bollinger were not in attendance.
The Montgomery Police Department (MPD) gave a report detailing incidents of crime and violence at the YuBar over the past year. An undercover surveillance video from November showed guests drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana in the breezeway. Another video was from a bar fight in the same month. Other incidents reported include:
October 10, 2020- Being over capacity
November 16, 2020- Assault
November 27, 2020- Fight
December 13, 2020- Attempted murder
MPD stated that they received a total of 126 calls this year regarding the business.
YuBar owner Yumarcus Manuel stated that there are 16 bonded security guards and a metal detector at his establishment. He also stated that he hires off-duty police officers to help keep traffic under control.
“I do everything I can do to protect our customers” Manuel said. “Fights can happen anywhere, and we cannot control how many people drive in a free parking lot.”
The YuBar is located at 163 Eastern Boulevard.
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