Last call law splits
residents, lawmakers
by Andy Phelan
andy@dekalbchamp.com
Charlie Crook of Tucker lets it be known he wants bars and clubs closed at 2 a.m. not 4 a.m.
Bar and club employees show up en mass to protest any ordinance that might change hours clubs can serve alcohol.
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Strokers valet Keith White knows when Atlanta shuts down its bars at 2:30 a.m., it’s time to prepare for the rush at his club in Clarkston.
White, 27, who protested Nov. 13 outside the county government offices against a proposed ordinance that would have clubs and bars stop serving alcohol at 2 a.m. instead of 4 a.m., argued that passing that law would hurt his wallet.
“Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. I make the most money,” said White, wearing a white T-shirt with big green letters “NO” emblazoned on the front. “About 30 to 50 percent of our business is late night. When Atlanta shuts down, I know they’re coming.”
But it’s exactly the reason Commissioner Jeff Rader proposed to roll back hours to begin with – to prevent DeKalb from becoming a late-night party place.
“And it’s not just Atlanta,” said Rader. “People from all over the region are coming here because they want to drink late. Every commissioner told me they wouldn’t want a late-night club in their neighborhood if it was a problem.”
DeKalb is the only county in metro Atlanta that allows drinks served pasted 2:30 a.m.
The issue of whether to get in line with other counties and municipalities has drawn large crowds at public hearings that have become contentious and emotionally charged.
Commissioner Burrell Ellis, who introduced a compromise that would have grandfathered in clubs and bars that received a license to serve alcohol before Atlanta changed its law in 2003, spared with the CEO publicly over the issue.
It wasn’t until newest Commissioner Lee May interjected that both were acting like children did the CEO and Ellis apologize for their behavior.
Although Ellis’ substitute passed 4-3 on Nov. 13, the CEO vetoed it later that day. A proposal by the CEO to charge higher fees to new businesses that wish to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. was denied in a 4-2-1 vote later in the session.
Ellis said at the meeting the real problem was the county was not enforcing its code enforcement laws in regard to many clubs.
Although the administration denied the accusation, county police and code enforcement officers launched “Operation Hammer Time” later that week, a three-night crackdown on more than 20 bars and clubs in DeKalb.
Whether any measure dealing with the controversial issue is presented again for a vote is up to the CEO. He did not indicate Nov. 20 if he would pursue higher fees legislation again. It’s possible Rader could try and get a vote on his ordinance, which would require clubs and bars to get the signatures of more than 50 percent of registered voters who live within 1,500 feet of the club.
Like White, Tucker resident Pam Peeples, 37, also demonstrated Nov. 13 in front of county offices.
But Peeples supports a law that would curb how late alcohol is served in the county.
“We’re becoming the place to go now that partiers can’t go to Buckhead,” said Peeples, who lives near Studio 72, a club owned by hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri.
“I don’t want to live in a bar district,” said Peeples. “All we want is just make us close at the same time as everyone else so we’re not the last stop.”
DaBomb Wings & Seafood’s Tressa Stanley, who owns restaurants in Lithonia and Atlanta, wants to open another place in Northlake.
But if they pass a more stringent last call law, she might have to reconsider.
“Listen, when other restaurants close around Stonecrest, we get a boost in business,” she said. “If they pass a law curbing hours, it would affect my future business plans.”
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