Hundreds of Tempe residents, music lovers and business owners packed a neighborhood safety meeting and poured out into the adjoining hallway Monday, which focused on the shooting that injured 16 outside the Clubhouse March 2.
“They violated the safety of neighbors who live nearby, the safety of patrons at the club having a good time, the employees who work there and our officers who responded,” Tempe city manager Charlie Meyer said of the shooters.
While the incident made national news last week, safety concerns still resonated with residents who were notified of the meeting by mail.
Tempe police Lt. Mike Horne reassured residents that the investigation was ongoing and they were looking at ways to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. Clubhouse owner, Eugenia Louise Ruven, was arrested and cited last week for violations of the business’ security plan, which is tied to its use permit.
Many residents questioned how a similar situation could be prevented, while regulars to The Clubhouse said they felt the club followed safety protocols.
“This is a right-to-carry state and it could happen to anyone,” said Sally Kellett, a former bar owner who employed Ruven for years. “This is the world we live in now.”
The shooting, which happened shortly before midnight on a Friday night, occurred outside the club while about 250 people waited to get inside for a show, Horne said. The headliner, Nipsey Hussle, a rapper with a street gang affiliation, never took the stage.
“There were numerous violations to the security plan,” Tempe Police Cmdr. Kim Hale said. Had the appropriate precautions been taken, it would likely have been prevented, he said.
Preventative measures from the way chairs are arranged and the volume of music to the starting and ending times of the show and the colors displayed can make a difference in this sort of situation, Meyer said.
Keeping orderly lines, preventing people from loitering in the parking lot and having a general sense of order can prevent fights from even starting, Hale said.
Other local bars and clubs enhance their security when bringing in “certain acts,” Hale said. That can include paying additional police officers to be at the event and sometimes that means certain acts aren’t acquired because the cost of security becomes too high.
However, in this situation, the police weren’t aware that Nipsey Hussle was going to perform in Tempe, said Horne.
“Do we have a gang problem?” Tempe Police Chief Tom Ryff asked. “In general, Tempe is a safe community, but not one that is immune to gang activity. It’s a larger issue and throughout the U.S. there is a problem with gang activity.”
In Maricopa County there are about 20,000 identified gang members, Ryff said.
“Thank god no one was killed,” Ryff said. “A glaze to the arm or head—an inch or two to the right and it might have been a different story.”
Many questions directed at the officials centered on who should and would take the blame, including the club owner, the promoter and the police department.
The department said identifying responsibility was still part of the investigation. A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. April 3 in the city council chambers.
While questions remain about who should have been aware of Nipsey Hussle’s gang affiliations, Larry Combs, a Tempe resident and co-owner of Loyal Management, a local talent firm, said promoters should do a better job letting clubs know when artist might warrant additional security. “But promoters won’t do it because it will come out of their chunk of the money and they won’t to let out bad publicity,” he said. For the owner of a club, it’s hard to know the reputation of an artis, he added.
“We recognize that we were very fortunate that no one was killed,” said Tempe Police Lt. Mike Horne. “Next time, whether it be in Tempe or Gilbert or Phoenix or Glendale, we may not be so lucky.”
“Residents are our eyes and ears,” said Hale. Residents should always report fights, gunshots and graffiti.
Contact writer: (480) 898-5645 or sspring@evtrib.com
Juggernaut8000 posted at 6:04 pm on Thu, Mar 15, 2012.
They should discuss a method to prevent blacks from having events like this to cut down on violence.
tededitedit posted at 7:01 pm on Thu, Mar 15, 2012.
The club owners shoulder the second spot for blame here (the gangs, including Nipsey Hussle, get the top spot). The police have learned form this and will scour the internet even harder for concert schedules, affiliations, lyrics, and track records. I also hope that police agencies would cooperate on open warrant sweeps right after shootings to send a message to the gangs.
Rich posted at 11:59 pm on Thu, Mar 15, 2012.
"Tempe police Lt. Mike Horne reassured residents that the investigation was ongoing and they were looking at ways to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.Of course they are, the "investigation always continues" until you lose interest. And, especially in Tempe, you and your family aren't safe. Go to a gun store, buy one and learn to use it, or get you and your children 'investigated' into a grave.
Dale Whiting posted at 6:55 am on Fri, Mar 16, 2012.
Not only is this problem larger than is Tempe, it requires solutions larger than local politicians and law enforcement is able to muster.
Why do "boys" join gangs? We've know "why" for years now. But we refuse to do much of anything about it. Those who have studied East LA learned. And East LA ain't quite as bad as it once was. But as long as the 1% remain in charge of the 99%, we will have a 5% at the bottom of the 99% who see gang law and order as more beneficial to them than what the rest of us would have them see. That 5% is the slice of society that has not adopted "the American Dream" or "American Exceptionalism," two themes of today's politicians. Where "liberalism" is distained by Conservatives, and "conservatism" is distained by Progressives, neither really propose much to address this problem.
Did anyone catch UMass Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff on TV yesterday? Underlying his theme of "Can we afford Capitalism any longer?" lies the root of the problem. Our faux system of open market capitalism, one which in the name of free enterprise has detached common folk from decision making in the work place, has taken us down a path of destruction. And "No, Richard does not support either socialism or communism. They have made the exact same mistakes." And believe it or not, so do "Gangs."
Wolff has two themes. Last night he addressed means to empower the average worker. The other means was addressed months ago. It was a means to stimulate true innovation outside of "big government" [the socialist way] and "big business" [the traditional capitalist way]. And neither Republican nor Democrat leadership and candidates appreciate this potential and the stumbling block not taking hold of this potential presents.
So, Rich, are you ready yet to listen and learn from Wolff? All ya' gotta' do is ask and it shall be opened unto you! I'm conficent Cerulean will be asking. And you and Cerulean are the only other ones on this blog of sorts who seem intellectually able enough to either ask or understand [versus misunderstand] the answers!