Barnett's Club in line to lose liquor license

[woodbuck27]

this jaywalking thing sounds like a hoax.

No ! No ! NO !

It's a major screwup. ALL . . . to the Damage Control Stations. We have . . . an emergency.

[MJZiggy]

The whole thing is idiotic. The licensing should have been handled 1000X better, the jaywalking thing should never have been written--more like the cop should have said "don't do that." and whoever vandalized that club should be used as a blocking dummy for training camp in hopes that they are effectively removed from the gene pool or at the very least, rendered incapable of reproducing said genes.

[GrnBay007]

This whole thing is beginning to look very embarassing for the city of Green Bay. The council/mayor needs to get a handle on what's going on there. This type of thing can snowball very easily and make GB look very ugly.

[Joemailman]

This whole thing is beginning to look very embarassing for the city of Green Bay. The council/mayor needs to get a handle on what's going on there. This type of thing can snowball very easily and make GB look very ugly.

Agreed. When Holmgren came to Green Bay, he felt he needed to fight the image that black players and coaches would not feel comfortable in Green Bay. The perception that some had of Green Bay is one reason why the signing of Reggie White was such a huge signing at the time, and why people in places like Chicago were so dismayed by it. It would be a shame if McCarthy had to fight this fight all over again.

It sounds to me like the mayor understands the problem, but I'm not so sure about the City Council or the Police Chief.

[MJZiggy]

This whole thing is beginning to look very embarassing for the city of Green Bay. The council/mayor needs to get a handle on what's going on there. This type of thing can snowball very easily and make GB look very ugly.

Agreed. When Holmgren came to Green Bay, he felt he needed to fight the image that black players and coaches would not feel comfortable in Green Bay. The perception that some had of Green Bay is one reason why the signing of Reggie White was such a huge signing at the time, and why people in places like Chicago were so dismayed by it. It would be a shame if McCarthy had to fight this fight all over again.

It sounds to me like the mayor understands the problem, but I'm not so sure about the City Council or the Police Chief.

Of they screw it up, they'll be gone. If they don't realize that then they deserve to be gone.

[GBRulz]

I cannot tell you all how embarassing this is for those of us that actually live here in GB. Our city council has basically killed downtown GB. Yet they are the first ones to bitch about how everyone is flocking down the river to Ashwaubenon, which is growing by leaps and bounds.

Right now, it's the mayor vs. city council, which is a bad portrayal of any city. I am 100% in favor of Barnett & Co as I think the council made a bad decision here.

The issue with the jaywalking citation, which the cop later said "was a mistake" only escalated the racial issue.

Do I think it's a racial issue? Not really. (the jaywalking issue, yes) I think city council tried to use a high-profile person, such as Barnett to politicize their message that they are trying to clean up downtown and will not put up with places that attract trouble.

I hear so many times how lucky I am to live in GB because of the Packers, blah blah blah. during football season, yes, it's the greatest place to be. But the small-minded, blue collar conservative mindset of so many that live here have me often asking myself WHY I live here.

A good place to start is by telling the most useless city council member of them all, Guy Zima, to go F himself This can be accomplished by going to his website at http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/geninf...ocation_o.html guyzima1@yahoo.com

This is the guy that told the mayor to "Stick it up his ass" last Feb. He also tried chasing the Phat Dog vendors out of downtown and also got busted for stealing brats. he's quite a guy! How he keeps getting reelected is beyond me!

[Bretsky]

Where in the heck is the spirit in Green Bay ? I'd like to organize a protest of females to make a point against the political incorrectness in Green Bay.

I'd like a few EC Gals to help me with the topless protest; of course I'm just trying to garner some attention to make a strong point.

I saw it on TV once; it garnered my attention


Cheers,
B

[MJZiggy]

Where in the heck is the spirit in Green Bay ? I'd like to organize a protest of females to make a point against the political incorrectness in Green Bay.

I'd like a few EC Gals to help me with the topless protest; of course I'm just trying to garner some attention to make a strong point.

I saw it on TV once; it garnered my attention


Cheers,
B

Can't they just publicly flog this Zima dude to let the world know that this is not how the people in GB treat their minority business owners? You need someone to run against him.

[GBRulz]

Zima lives like 2-3 blocks from me, so because I live in his district, i can technically run against him...muahaha

[SD GB fan]

hey i remember last year i jaywalked from my school to my house..i turned around and i saw a police just staring at me. lucky he felt lazy or something. funny now looking back on it but boy that was stupid.

[GBRulz]

City OKs FiveSix liquor license

Owner Barnett agrees to abatement plan

By Kelly McBride
kmcbride@greenbaypressgazette.com


After 30 days of turmoil, FiveSix Ultra Lounge and its owner, Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Barnett, are getting another shot.


A month ago, the Green Bay City Council dealt what could have been the fatal blow to the future of FiveSix, the embattled downtown nightclub that has been the source of police calls and resident complaints.


The city — and Barnett — have been through a lot since then. The June 6 denial of the renewal of the club's liquor license set in motion a chain of events that culminated with Mayor Jim Schmitt a week ago asking the council to reverse that decision.


That's exactly what happened Wednesday night, when the City Council did an about-face on the issue, voting 8-3 to allow liquor-license renewal within the confines of a mutually agreed-upon abatement plan.


Among conditions detailed in the plan, the club must make "good faith efforts" to expand its nonalcohol revenue.


Aldermen Andy Nicholson, Gary Kriescher and Guy Zima voted to deny the license renewal. Alderman John Vander Leest was absent and did not vote.


"Obviously I'm happy, you know, that we finally got this worked out," Barnett said after the vote. "(I'm) surprised that we did get it worked out. I came in here, you know, hopeful, but you never know what happens."


The council spent about 2½ hours re-hashing the FiveSix liquor license issue and related abatement plan. After quickly voting to rescind their decision, council members — and the general public — got another chance to speak about the club.


Several area business owners and On Broadway Inc. director Naletta Burr said they welcomed FiveSix and thought Barnett should be given another chance.


But some of the aldermen raised questions about the newly penned abatement plan, as well as FiveSix's role in terms of serving as a tavern or a restaurant. Questions surrounding the club's principal business have been raised since the issue surfaced.


Controversy has surrounded the Barnett case since the council's June 6 vote. It intensified when a council committee recommended that the liquor license of Hip Cats — a similarly troubled downtown location — be renewed, despite a greater number of police calls to that location.


At its Wednesday meeting, the council voted to approve Hip Cats' license, with a similar abatement plan, as well.


But the turmoil reached its zenith last week when Barnett was issued a written warning for jaywalking by Dave Schmitz, the same community police officer who had made damaging claims about FiveSix during the June 6 meeting. Two members of the local media who were with Barnett at the time didn't receive a written warning.


The question of racism has hovered over Barnett and FiveSix, first when it came to the liquor-license renewal and then when the warning was issued. The reporter and photographer who were with him are both white, while Barnett is black.


That incident garnered national attention last week, creating what council president Chad Fradette called "a black eye for the city" and "an embarrassment."


And amid the questions of racism, vandals struck the outside of FiveSix late last week, spray-painting swastikas and a racial slur.


Although Schmitt declined to connect the liquor license and jaywalking situations when he called for the council to rescind its earlier decision, many — Fradette among them — have said the link is obvious.


The jaywalking warning has been since wiped from Barnett's record.


Barnett said Wednesday he's hoping to move on after the incidents of the past month. And while the graffiti incident was disturbing, he said it's not reflective of the city as a whole.


"I've never really changed my whole thought about the city of Green Bay," Barnett said. "Going through this process, I was a little down about it, but I love living here. I love playing here."

[GBRulz]

Very happy that they decided to give him another shot. Note, the three alderman who voted against renewing the license at last night's city council meeting were:

Andy Nicholson
Gary Kriescher
Guy Zima

I will certainly remember those names when it comes to re-election.

While this story has a happy ending, the damage has already been done. Players usually don't live here in the off-season, even less of those who invest in the community like Barnett did with his club. I'm sure others who might have been thinking of doing the same might think otherwise now.

[KYPack]

Hopefully Barnett didn't do his little "victory dance" when the decision came out in his favor.

That could inhibit the healing process.

[MJZiggy]

Hopefully Barnett didn't do his little "victory dance" when the decision came out in his favor.

That could inhibit the healing process.

I hope he did one of those old movie type dance scenes spanning the desks of Zima, Kreishcer and Nicholson. And had a full entrourage of dancers joining him. Followed by a little tap number on the top of the cop's squad.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

The whole thing probably started because GB has a bunch of conservative politicans who saw Playmakers on ESPN and didnt like the image of rich black atheletes screwing with pretty white girls.

I've always voted demecrat.