The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
Annually, Mike Palmer throws himself a big birthday bash at his restaurant, MP Island Cafe on Holland Road.
Not this year.
Due to several violent incidents, the city has required Palmer to shut down MP Island’s nightclub operation. That means it no longer can have loud music, disc jockeys and a dance floor, said city Councilman Glenn Davis.
MP Island Cafe’s kitchen is still open, serving up jerk chicken, southern fried chicken and collard greens, but the change has taken a bite out of Palmer’s business and resulted in several employees losing their jobs, he said.
“It’s been tough,” Palmer said.
Activity at the cafe first came under scrutiny when police Detective Michael Phillips was fatally shot during an undercover drug deal in the parking lot Aug. 7.
When a MP Island Cafe patron was stabbed to death inside the restaurant last month, the same morning that two men were shot outside, it was the last straw. The city ordered the cafe to end nightclub activities because it’s licensed as a retail restaurant only.
MP Island Cafe has gotten a bad rap, Palmer said, something he wants to change.
“We don’t have a bad reputation as far as a rowdy club or any bad stuff happening here. It was just a fluke incident,” he said.
Palmer met with Davis and members of the Green Run Homes Association this week to discuss ways to move forward. They plan to form a Green Run Business Association in the next few months.
“We’ve really worked hard ... to improve the safety and the appearance of Green Run,” said Christopher Wiemken, president of the home association. “We thought it would be important for business owners to work together to improve some of the commercial properties as well as some of the communities they serve.”
Despite the setbacks, MP Island Cafe has received one piece of good news: its alcohol licenses are safe.
An investigation by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control after last month’s incident, which occurred an hour and a half after the 2 a.m. cutoff for alcohol sales, didn’t find any violations, said spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw.
The club allowed customers to stay after 2 to avoid a large crowd flooding the parking lot, Palmer said, adding that he might apply for a nightclub license in the future.
For now, he said he’s focusing on the food and looking “to see how we as a business can work with the community to be something positive.”
Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com
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The bass line . . .
Oh,yes, I am living proof that a pulsing, crashing bass line will make people more aggressive. I am white, female, and 50, but I drive totally differently when I am listening to classical music than when I put on rock/pop with a heavy bass line. The bass line brings back my youth, and the music and the aggressive driving of that time in my life, as automatically as Pavlov's dog salivated when it saw a switch to pull . . .
It's not race, it's biology. A strong bass line does that to all of us!!! Don't outlaw music, just be aware of its effects and . . . if you can't handle them without causing an accident or incident, censor yourself on your music!!!
So...
It's not racist, it's statistics. And turning your back on the issue doesn't make it go away. There's still trouble there.
Sorry but its a pattern
I'm not buying the fluke incident, bad luck excuse from the club owner. Its the same one we heard from some NFL players who said trouble just seemed to follow them at 2AM, 3AM at a night club, or strip club. It's a wonder the club owner hasn't been sued out of existence yet by relatives of the deceased given what has happened at his business so far.
No sympathy here either
Once is an incident, twice is not coincidence but the result of out of an out of control clientele. Studies have been done that tie heavy bass music to angry, belligerent and arrogant behavior. Time and time again we find that sort of music being played at clubs and restaurants that have problems with violent acts. With such music being tied to the African-American community, many look at such studies as being 'racist' even though the affects of the music goes for people of ANY race. It is a serious factor that does need to be taken into account if there is to be any hope of ending such violence.
Trouble at "BLACK" night clubs
I think trouble happens at every night club both white and black. The newspapers as well as the news stations always seems to lead and continue to rebroadcast the story that involved blacks...I never see the local news stations report over and over when stabbing, shooting, child abuse/neglect, and or criminal activity that involves whites.
You have got to be kidding
MP Island is a blight and attracts unsavory customers. They have no respect for their customers or neighbors. They are not the victim here. Hopefully it will close completely soon.
Not just at that 'Club'
Sadly this happens all over the country but nobody wants to be the boy who cries "The Emporer has no clothes!"
OK, I'll do it.
It's mostly places that serve folks of African descent.
Now let that burn in real good because it's true.
Here in Maryland we have the same problem even in 'nice' places.
The government made sure a certain area had all high end shops and all the infrastructure to make things great and next thing you know it's full of violence of all types including murders, assaults, car thefts, muggings etc.
The population has remained the same but the white folks left/were driven out due to rising crime.
Today it's Black on Black crime and nobody seems to know how to stop it. (Well I know how but nobody wants to go against single mothers you see.)
Americans of African descent came so far and achieved so much then the bottom fell out.
And it aint 'Whitey's' fault.
All local
authorities need to take notice and head off the rising crime rate now before it gets out of control. I left the town of Athens Georgia where the crime rate has gone through the roof with home invasions and armed robberies. Get your drug task forces in high gear and start looking for the drug sources because that is what has been fueling the crime wave in North Georgia and with drugs being funneled along I-85 to I-95 the money in the Beach and surrounding area is a good draw for drugs.
BTW, if anyone from Beach PD is reading this how about checking out Clubhouse road and watching for a 14yr old dealing on the upper end of the road there.
No sympathy here
I wouldn't even drive by that place on a Friday night. Still nobody sees a connection with these various clubs and shooting. I won't say anything. We need to come up with an association to get rid of the Aqua lounge on General Booth. How many shooting have occured at establishments on General Booth over the past 20 years. Oh yeah two. And they were both on the same property. We don't have anywhere else to move.