Testimony differed, and Adrian Antonio Sanders was denied a beer permit for a business known as Black Jack’s 903 Hollywood Drive, Suite No. 11 for selling, storing and serving beer on the premises where sold.
Sanders, who was making his request at the City Council Chambers Wednesday, told Beer Board members there was no fighting and no smell of marijuana at his establishment, Saturday.
“I worked the door and there was no fight, no marijuana, and if it was true we were over capacity, why did (Jackson Police Department) not shut the party down,” Sanders said. “I figured when they pulled up the other night, it was going to come up in this meeting.”
Sgt. Isaiah Thompson of the Jackson Police Department said officers were notified about a fight inside Black Jack’s, which is located in the Hollywood Shopping Center.
Thompson, who was on speaker phone during Wednesday’s meeting, said when he saw the number of people looking to go inside the facility, he knew the business was over capacity.
“A majority of people were standing around outside,” Thompson said. “I told another officer it was not a (building) that could hold that many people. I feared for the safety of everybody out here (and) if I was going to shut it down, I had to call the Fire Marshall.
“He (Sanders) was alleging there was another party (next door), but I didn’t see one.”
Sanders said an officer took the microphone and told those in attendance the party was “shut down.”
“People were coming out to leave,” Sanders said. “Why was it not shut down?”
Thompson disputed the claim Sanders made about the absence of marijuana.
“The smoke … it was so intoxicating,” Thompson said. “He (Sanders) said he was patrolling the area, but he wasn’t.”
Charles Rahm, chairman of the Beer Board, told Sanders the Beer Board did not instruct the Jackson Police Department to visit his establishment Saturday.
The vote to deny Sanders a permit was 2-1 – Rahm and Pepper Bray against; Harvey Buchanan for.
“It’s in the best interest of the citizens of Jackson to deny the permit,” Rahm said.
(PHOTO: Adrian Antonio Sanders appears before the Jackson Beer Board, Wednesday)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalk1015/
