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The scene in front of Reserve is typical for a midweek night. Once the weekend comes, the scene changes and can become more chaotic.

Lake Street goes on lockdown

By: Alex Mariscal

Posted: 10/29/07

Over the past few years, several bars and clubs have moved into the West Loop along Lake Street. While most of the establishments go about their business without incident, some have raised concerns for the safety of residents as well as the look of the neighborhood. As a result, community awareness has led to an increased police presence.

Every night as club patrons in the West Loop head to and from the clubs, they are being watched with a cautious eye. After the death of club patron Omari Houston on Aug. 19, the city of Chicago has been paying a lot more attention to the Lake Street club scene.

Houston came to the defense of some young women who were being harassed by other drunken nightclub goers when he was shot to death outside of the Chromium nightclub. Since then, city officials have placed several District 12 police officers on the strip to patrol the area. They have also issued a "lockdown" on Lake Street while the clubs are open.

District 12 stated that they are doing everything they can do to make it safe for club goers to attend the clubs and are taking care of the fights that break out after hours.

The "lockdown" began in 2005 as a maneuver by the 12th District Police Department to help keep the residents and club patrons safe. The lockdown typically occurs during the club hours between Friday night and Sunday morning.

A few of the clubs in the area were threatened with being shutting down as a result of the repeated trouble their patrons have caused. Specifically, Chromium and Reserve nightclubs have produced the most confrontation from patrons leaving the clubs after they close at 3 a.m.

While there are a few establishments that cause problems, not all the nightclubs are a nuisance to the West Loop community. The Shadow Bar is one of the few nightclubs that is in good standing.

"The only thing they [community officials] have asked us was to have the crowd leave in a peaceful fashion," said manager Reggie Sanders. "If people are belligerent or rude to other guests or workers, we will not let them in."

Sanders also stated that they have their own security staff that is on top of everything, and they know how to police themselves.

"If we were to close [down], they [security] know they won't make any money," said Sanders. "Any kind of confrontation outside, we call the police, otherwise we will get a ticket and we don't want to be blamed for anything that might happen."

Many businesses also surround the club area and have seen the kind of crowds and the atmosphere that the club scene has brought to this West Loop community.

"We've had a lot of problems with garbage on the sidewalks and streets and we're the ones left to clean it up," said business owner Marty Petlicki.

Petlicki owns the Northwestern Cutlery, which sits just across the street from the some of the nightclubs. The cutlery shop has been in the neighborhood for about 30 years and has seen the full effects of the clubs entering the community. While he does not have a problem with the clubs, he does have a problem with how the patrons affect the neighborhood.

"I feel sorry for the people who live around here," said Petlicki. "If the clubs cannot police themselves, then they should be closed down."

This is the sentiment held by Alderman Walter Burnett Jr. (27th ward), who is working with the West Loop Community Organization to shut down the problematic nightclubs.

The debate will continue as the nightclubs are well within their rights to operate and most do without incident. It cannot be ignored, however, that the West Loop community also has the right to protect itself.