Bertha.

Y'all ready?

All right.

Good morning, everyone.

I'd like to welcome you to the Chattanooga Beer Board meeting.

Uh all meeting attendees must sign in on the designated sign-in sheet or sunshine law.

So if you haven't signed in on the sign in sheet, please do.

Uh all electronic devices uh should be muted or turned off so as not to disrupt the meeting, so I'll be the first one to be sure to do that.

Uh any of individuals that will be coming and wishing to address the board today must do so from the podium, and when you do, please state your name before making your comments and please speak up as best you can because sometimes it's a little hard for us to hear up here.

Uh first item on our agenda is the approval of the minutes for the October sixteenth, twenty twenty-five meeting.

Is there a motion for approval?

Is there a second?

All in favor of approving the minutes of October sixteenth, twenty twenty-five, signify by saying I.

Opposed.

Uh, will need to be sworn in by Lori.

So if you're here today for an application for a bear license or permit, uh, you need to be sworn in at this time.

Anybody here?

Yes.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, thank you.

Now we've had some late attendees who have not signed in on the sign in sheet.

So we can keep this moving along when you leave.

If you want to go ahead and do that, that's fine.

But when you leave, please sign that sheet.

That's for the sunshine law in Tennessee that requires us to have a signature of everyone that attends the meeting.

We I would appreciate that very much.

We have number one sculpture fields at Montague Park or fire up the fields.

TE 103 has been approved by regulatory.

We have uh number two vision hospitality management LLC bearer 1367.

It's been approved by regulatory.

Next section, beer applications approved by regulatory is Tennessee River George Gorge Trust TE 104.

Approved by regulatory.

Oh wait, ma'am, I'm sorry.

Uh T104 is uh Chatterjack.

Yes.

That is not approved by zoning.

So Alicia Hickson is organizer 201 River Front Parkway.

It's not approved by zoning.

We know the date of that event yet.

I don't see it on here.

Uh did you have that date?

Yes.

So that event is already passed due.

Uh it's already occurred, and they did not sell anything.

Got it.

So it's off the agenda.

Since it was not approved by zoning, it uh they did not feel comfortable moving forward, so they just applied the break.

All right, okay.

And number two, 5902 Inc.

Doing business as Eagles Food and Fuel Beer 1368.

Change of ownership.

Uh approved by regulatory.

Okay.

And we have new temporary beer permit applications.

Reflection riding, the world heavyweight chili championship at Maine 24.

Shows has been approved.

That's TE 105.

New beer applications.

Planet Power Cafe and Juice Bar.

Uh Ariela Alexander's owner, 6215 Lee Highway.

Beer 1370 has been approved.

Uh number two, GKC Inc.

Goshar Kumar is owner, 203 East Main Street.

Unit 101, beer 1372 has been approved.

All right.

And next up is discussion.

All right.

Ma'am, you said you were here for a permit.

Did we call you out?

What's yes?

Reflection writing.

Okay, for that reflection lighting.

Let me make sure.

Come up here, ma'am.

Yeah.

I have a question.

Yes, ma'am.

On TE 103 Sculpture Fields.

Last month it was not approved because it was rejected by zoning.

So did they come in and make their approval?

Yes.

Zach, if you'll come go ahead and uh just hang on just a second.

Zach has uh did this sculpture fields T E103.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I do.

So a little background on that situation under the alcoholic beverage code.

Uh specifically the one to be refused for permitting.

I believe it's 545 and the uh updated code.

It does require a distance check.

However, there is another section we referred to the uh the city attorney's office on that.

The notes should be in that case.

Uh I believe it's gonna be section 20.

I can look it up for you guys.

Um basically it allows for events, special events to happen for street closures, those kind of things.

Uh, and with a special event permit, also that includes parks.

So with the special event permit, they're allowed uh to also uh have alcohol there.

So it was able to be approved with the special event permit, and that was direct uh counsel from the city attorney's office.

Right, because it received an email before I approved that.

All right, very good.

Okay, include parts at all or whatever that is, that little event.

I'm sorry, well, the event space that sits there on the corner across from me.

I think it's parking.

The separate their their office.

There's an event space there.

I think we denied an event for what's they did.

I believe I believe that's their their office.

I believe that's their offices.

No.

You're right.

It's a venue.

It's a venue.

Park side.

Do you know the do you know the address of it?

It's on Polk Street, isn't it?

Our street from uh the the park is what 1800, 1500?

What is the park?

We know what money do park address is.

It says 2001 Polk Street.

But 2001 is the address of the other portion of what they called their offices to me.

Um and then the address of the park was was 1800.

So I previously denied uh 2001 Polk Street for an event.

So I'm saying this partside hall will be okay too the next time they someone comes in here and has an event there, they will be okay too to host.

And which one are you asking about because Parkside Hall?

Uh-huh.

Which is where?

It's right across the street.

Like you polk the multigue park and parkside hall.

They're like right across the street from each other.

It's Parkside Hall 2001.

No, um 2035 Polk Street.

Okay, I don't know.

I'd have to do an individual review on that.

Okay.

Yeah.

And I would follow the same guidelines that I follow with everything else out of 545.

Unless I am giving guidance.

Otherwise, like in this situation where there was another uh statute or ordinance that allowed for specifically uh within streets and parks with that other special event permit for that to happen.

Can you, when you get a chance, send our bertha send us that section 20, whatever that is.

A section cited by the city attorney, absolutely please.

Is there by us?

Is there a specific email address I should use, or should I just send it to Bertha should send it out?

That'll be good.

Yeah, because my concern was I know they was denied once before for the same thing at Martin View Park, and that's 2001 was denied.

Right.

Uh previously the park actually ended up getting theirs a couple years ago back when uh assistant city attorney uh Yanas was working with the regulatory bureau.

So we got similar uh guidance from him at that time.

So actually that one ended up being approved a couple years ago.

Okay, okay, all right.

Any other questions?

All right, thank you, Zach.

Appreciate it.

Okay, all right.

Uh Reflection Writing, yes.

You want to speak to her?

Yes, please.

You would tell us a little bit about your event, please, and state your name.

Um, my name is Logan Epperson.

I work for Reflection Writing.

We're uh nonprofit Nature Center in our breedum.

Um we are hosting the annual World Heavyweight Chili Championship at the main by 24 festival.

So I think it previously has been hosted by Green Spaces and Habitat for Humanity last year, and we're taking it on this year, so it's just an event where teams come and cook chili, um, and then participants at the main by 24 festival can come and eat chili and taste it, and it's a championship, so they taste it and it gets judged.

Um there'll be beer there, hopefully, that people can drink while they're tasting chili, and it's all a fundraiser for uh for reflection writing.

Very good.

And this has been approved by regulatory officer mosier.

Yeah, yes, they've been approved.

Okay.

Any questions from anybody since they've already been approved?

No, no, all right.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay, sorry.

Okay.

All right, now we're going to enter a uh discussion phase of our meeting.

And uh this picture here.

There we go.

So as noted on our agenda, uh the circle K was fined, and the fine has not been paid yet.

Uh Bertha, if you had any correspondence from them yet on this at all?

Yeah.

Okay.

All right, so that was in October.

So I guess we need to send them a friendly reminder, as we used to say in my business.

Are they you?

No, they're not here.

There's no reason for them to be here.

How long do they have to pay it?

It's usually Catherine.

Is there a time limit on payment in there of 30 days or for the appeal process?

I think for the appeal process, there is a there is a deadline of I think 60 days.

Right.

But um, for the find there isn't a specific timeline for that, is usually done within 30 days.

So I I think we should just ask Bertha to actually reach out to them and say we haven't received your fine yet.

And we're looking forward and it's time.

Okay.

the appeal process I think for the appeal process there is a there is a deadline of I think 60 days right but um for the fine there isn't a specific timeline for that is usually done within 30 days so I I think we should just ask Bertha to actually reach out to them and say we haven't received your fine yet and we're looking for it and it's time with the letter that states if if it's not paid in an ample enough time then we will invoke additional charges or whatever however yep that's the way to do it I agree we just need to let them know do we have authority to do that yeah Catherine hold on one second yes I mean they've been sell beer this whole time I remember they had their area manager here that they have to do there's no repercussion I think this is coming up to that we know let's wait just a minute we're okay so I believe the the beer board does have the ability to recite uh individual that does not comply with its order so that'll be another citation according to um provision five fifty section a it says that the beer board should have the authority to revoke or suspend any permits issued to it under this division upon notice of the permittee and a hearing thereon under the administrative hearing officer who shall make recommendations to the beer board for any violation of any provision of federal or state law regulating the cell storage and transportation of alcoholic beverages or for any violation of any provision of this code including a failure to comply with the requirements set out herein so we would be relying on the failure to comply with the requirements.

Right that begs a follow-up question for me okay if there's no deadline to pay the fine are they technically not in compliance they're not in compliance when they don't pay the fine um just because there may not be a specific deadline set they're still under an obligation to pay let me let me correct this it's not a fine it's a civil penalty um they're still under an obligation to pay that so and if it's a civil penalty is there another provision in the code or the ordinances that allow does the does the enforcement of this go to a different not to the beer board but to a different right like is it like civil contempt or something that you can file in court or is that what you're asking no I'm asking who has is anyone in the city have the ability to enforce the payment of a fine like if you don't pay your speeding ticket because it it's not technically a fine to the beer board well is a civil penalty imposed by the beer board right and I think if you don't the way you enforce that is if you don't pay that then that's leads to another citation which could lead to further suspension or revocation of your license okay so I would recommend Officer Mosier would you mind going by this store and saying hey where's your money okay that and tell them we've had a discussion and we don't want to have to bring you and fine you again and uh maybe that'll get their attention.

Because this is Circle K in the past they've if they've had uh I know over time they've not had a problem paying fines so this might be just something that fell through the craft or something corporate or whatever.

So this might be just something that fell through the craft or something.

Corporate or whatever.

So if you don't mind, if you would do that, and then uh at our next meeting, you could hopefully we'll have the payment and it's a not issue, but if not, then we can take action to get their attention different ways.

All right, two things.

Uh so Bertha, would you you're gonna put this back on for our next meeting, correct?

And we can revisit this, and the second question would be to uh city attorney.

Is there a way that we can amend and put payment must be paid by XY can we do that?

30 days, 60 days, 90 days, city council has we make a motion to city council.

You make a recommendation to city council that some time limit be put in the ordinance so that it's clear, very good.

Okay, thank you.

All right, any other discussion on that matter?

All right, all right.

We have two uh beer violation reviews.

We have the Applebee's neighborhood grill and bar 5606 Brandon Road, and the we you also have had the report and recommendation of the hearing officer uh heard on October 16, 2025, a five-day suspension or $500 fine.

So is there uh a motion to uh looking for the right word?

Confirm this hearing, or not confirm it, but what word am I looking for?

Affirm the recommendation affirm, thank you, not confirmed but affirm, thank you to affirm the uh uh the uh here the uh ruling of the um hearing officer for a five-day suspension or a five hundred dollar fine so we vote until sustain the violation or sustain it, yeah.

To sustain it.

There we go.

That's the one I'm looking for.

Thank you very much.

Deny or recommend with our own one since today's my birthday number 73.

I had a seven year old movement in mind here just a little bit.

So is there a motion to sustain the ruling of the hearing officer?

I move to affirm it.

Um recommendation to a five day or five hundred dollar suspension.

Fine, five days suspension or motion to sustain.

Is there a second?

A second.

All right, discussion.

I don't call her old Christy.

Question Oh, sorry, I'm sorry.

Which five waves are 500.

We have to discuss that.

It's five days.

Do you recommend we do one or the other?

So we have to pick which one we're going to do.

Right?

We pick our day picking.

Is that correct, Catherine?

That we we choose that we choose, yes.

We choose.

Okay, all right.

So okay.

This is the first time this has come up, so let's have uh since there wasn't a second on the motion.

There was a second there was uh we're in the discussion phase.

We're in the discussion phase of that motion right now.

All right, so let's have a discussion whether we want to have a five-day suspension or a five hundred dollar fine.

Okay, so I'll open the floor for discussion.

That's a good question.

I would recommend suspension.

All right.

Discussion.

So we have to put a motion.

We have to put a motion on it.

So I think the appropriate uh procedure is to either a table the motion or b motion to amend the previous motion.

Is there is there a motion to amend the previous motion to a motion that we amend the previous motion that he made a five-day suspension?

To a five-day motion.

All right.

All right.

Is there a second to that?

No.

All right.

Now we will vote on the uh motion to amend the original motion.

Christy?

Yes.

Brooke?

Yes.

Veronica?

Yes.

Ron?

Yes.

JW?

Yes.

Reginald?

Yes.

Betsy?

Yes.

Zach?

Yes.

And the chair votes yes.

So now that being said, is do we need to now vote?

On the underlying motion.

So now the the motion is that's correct.

To sustain the uh the recommendation for a five-day suspension.

Right.

Okay.

So there is uh is there a motion?

All right.

So that's it.

So we've already had that motion now.

Right.

So is there any other discussion to that?

Right.

All right.

I'll call the roll one more time.

Christy?

Yes.

Brooke?

Yes.

Veronica?

Yes.

Ron?

JW?

Yes.

Reginald?

Yes.

Betsy?

Yes.

Zach?

Yes.

And the chair votes yes.

Thank you, members.

I appreciate that.

All right.

So now the second uh report and recommendation of the hearing officer was heard on October 16th for a five-day suspension and additional training regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages for Octavio Perez Mexic Wings.

LLC 3202 Brainerd Road.

Is there a motion to sustain that recommendation?

I'll make a motion that we sustain the recommendation for a three-day suspension and additional.

I'm sorry, five-day suspension.

And additional and additional training.

Great.

Thank you.

Second.

Okay by Christy.

It's Christy.

Okay, discussion to the motion.

All right.

I'll call the roll.

I'll start backwards.

Zach?

Yes.

Betsy?

Yes.

Reginald?

Yes.

JW?

Yes.

Ron?

Yes.

Veronica?

Yes.

Brooke.

Yes.

And Christy?

Yes.

And the chair votes.

Yes.

All right.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate that.

We're getting the hang of it, aren't we?

Well, okay.

So the other thing is now that you voted on that.

How much time do they have for the additional training?

That needs to be decided as well.

Okay.

Is there a motion?

Do they have to show approof?

Yeah.

Of the training.

You can require that, and I would I would I would suggest that that be added to the motion that gives that time period.

So is there so the chair will entertain a motion for a time limit on the training portion of the uh Mexie wings six LLC?

So is there a motion from a member?

60 days.

Okay.

Is that too much?

Do you want to make that a motion?

Yeah, you can are we discussing or are we making a motion?

Well, you can make a motion first, and then we'll make a motion that we discuss first.

I'll make a motion for a 60-day time frame.

And do you want okay?

So motion for a 60-day time frame.

We approve the training.

Thank you.

Alright, is there a second to that?

Second.

Discussion to that motion.

No discussion.

I'll call the roll.

Christy?

Yes.

Brooke?

Yes.

Veronica?

Yes.

Ron?

Yes.

JW?

Yes.

Reginald?

Yes.

Betsy?

Yes.

Zach?

Yes.

And the chair votes yes.

All right.

Thank you.

Okay.

Now, yeah, go ahead.

Brooke.

Are we supposed to choose the dates for the suspension as well?

We didn't do that on the previous.

Yeah, we need to do that on both of them.

Right.

Oh, that's right.

This is just this birthday, ladies and gentlemen.

Be patient with us.

Well, also, this is you know, if you if you follow the beer board, we have totally changed the way things are done here.

So we're still in our learning curve as to our new responsibilities.

So we just got to go back and tag the date and making sure that we still before that's a little bit right.

So let's go back.

Yeah.

Okay, so let's readdress Applebee's neighborhood bar and grill.

We sustained a five-day suspension.

Is there a motion from the board for the uh time when the five-day suspension should start?

I have can I ask a question first?

Yes, sir, please.

How long will it take them to get notified of this decision?

Because I don't want to do it before you know what I mean.

There's a practical matter of I agree.

Well, I've got to prepare the order, and I have to give it to Dan to sign and then they send it out.

So I would normally it's been two weeks.

So I would um I would suggest that we keep with that timeline, um, so that we have time to give them notice.

Right.

And then they can appeal.

Right.

So uh two weeks has been what we followed in the past.

Okay.

November 20th.

So uh the chair will entertain a motion 21st, right?

Make a motion that we do the suspension from November 25th through November 29th.

All right, there's been a motion to have the suspension starting November 25th through the 29th.

Is there a second to that motion?

Second further discussion to the motion.

It's Thanksgiving.

Yeah, that's what I was going.

That's thank you.

I mean, they may not be not gonna be closed.

That's why I chose that date because I think a business should feel it if they violate it, then it's not that time violent rules.

It's been 15 years since they violated the rules.

That's one at a time, please.

One at a time.

My dates, my motion stay the way it is.

All right, so we have a motion in a second.

Any further discussion to that motion?

I don't call a roll.

Christy, yes.

What was the date again?

25th through the 29th of November.

Yeah, yes.

Okay.

Uh Veronica?

Yes.

Ron?

Yes.

Uh JW.

Yes.

Reginald.

Yes.

Betsy?

Yes.

Zach?

Yes.

And the chair votes yes.

Okay.

Very good.

All right.

Now the is there a motion.

So we now need a motion setting the date for the five-day suspension of Mexie Wings 5 LLC 3202 Brainerd Road.

And it is a five-day suspension.

Is there a motion?

I make a motion for the suspension of Mexie Wings of the same dates, November 25th through November 29th.

All right.

Thank you.

All right, motion and second by JW through the 29th.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Okay.

Discussion.

All right, I'll call the roll.

Zach?

Yes.

Betsy?

Yes.

Reginald?

Yes.

JW?

Yes.

Ron?

Yes.

Veronica?

Yes.

Brooke?

Yes.

And Christy?

Yes.

And the chair votes.

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

Very good.

Now we're kind of getting the getting the rhythm down a little better now here.

Okay.

That's great.

All right.

So that concludes our hearing our hearing portions of the meeting.

We're now open for public comment.

We have a lot of people here today that are here to uh voice their concerns.

We do have one group, the Mohammed El Amin Islamic Center, uh has asked to come and speak for Shady's corner.

So we're going to ask them to go first.

And I want to remind everybody that you need to state your name and clearly speak up, and then you will have three minutes.

And are you ready back there for the three-minute timer?

Okay, good.

You'll have three minutes to address your concerns to the board.

So if you have a representative that wants to come and introduce himself first, or whatever, however, y'all want to start is is fine with us.

So please, yes.

How many can we have to speak?

You can have we would we would like to limit it to ten people, but uh if you want to have more, we understand.

Please sign up.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Bertha.

Be sure and speak up for us too, okay.

Okay, no problem.

Thank you.

My name is Hamid Elamin.

I'm with the uh Islamic Center of Chattanooga on 1410 Cemetery Avenue.

And our community is here today to request the permanent suspension of Shady's Corner.

And one of the things I want to uh mention in the beginning here is the law that Tennessee states under Tennessee Code 575103 that in order to have a beer permit that it can be revoked or suspended when a permit holder has at least two violations within a 12-month period.

And also it states that the permit can be revoked if the business repeatedly violates, meaning involving health, safety, and the welfare or morality of a community.

Since September the 22nd, 2023, and September the 22nd, 2025, there have been uh 500, at least 511 police response to Shady's Corner.

What I just give gave you all is an open records from the Chattanooga Police Department.

Uh since uh this year, January to October, there's been over 206 police calls in response to Shady's Corner.

Now there's no other business in Chattanooga have had these type of calls uh and incidents at their locations and still maintain their beer commit.

Now these calls consist of noise complaints, disorderly conduct, fighting, uh violent activity, numerous drug overdoses, spiking drinks where females have been sexually assaulted there, vandalism, intoxicated persons, traffic congestions caused by an excessive amount of vehicles and the customers obstructing the roadway, emergency vehicles can't get down the roadway there.

We also know that in October, just last month, Channel 9 reported that several fights took outside the bar where a young female assaulted a Chattanooga police officer.

Uh seven days later, October 2025.

Channel 9 report that the Chattanooga Police Department conducted a sting there, drug sting, where the cook in the kitchen sold cocaine to an undercover police officer.

And then outside they went and arrested two other individuals who selling cocaine on the premises.

October the 26th, Channel 3 reported that a drive-by shooting took place at Shady's Corner where 14 rounds, 14 rounds of shell casings was located outside the bar.

Our center have been there for over 43 years, uh helping people, outreach, and so forth.

Shady's Corner is not safe for anybody to be down there.

And the whole city and our community also is wondering how can this one business with 511 uh incidents reported in three years?

206 just this just this year, 89 noise complaints in uh 2025, 89, and they still have their permit.

All right.

We're asking you today to suspend their license.

It's like you would do anyone else.

It is our community that's suffering with trash when we walk up there, urinating on our door, condoms in front of our door, people getting into our ring camera, ripping our security devices off of our wall, and you all have not suspended them.

We only know of one suspension, which they appealed that, but in three years, 511 calls this year alone, over 206 complaints from the community, and they still have that license.

The only thing that has not happened at Shady's Corners yet is a homicide.

That's right.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Next person.

Bear with me a little bit.

All right.

Okay, good morning.

Speak up, please.

Go ahead.

I will.

I'm talking through the mask.

I have a few health issues that I can.

I'm I'm Gary Rudolph.

I'm the resident uh at 904 East 14th Street.

I have my wife and daughter with me this morning, and we have been terrorized by Shady's Corner.

You all are familiar with me.

I've been here before.

And the complaints uh have grown longer since uh I was before you two years ago.

Um again, we are most impacted by what goes on at Shady's Corner.

We're at a place where we can't enjoy our home and we can't sell it.

Uh that's a terrible place to be.

Um, my family has had a president presence in that community for nearly seven decades now.

Shady's Corner moved in about two and a half years ago, and since then it's been nothing but terror.

Um I just want you to indulge me for a minute to get through this list of complaints.

Uh Mr.

Mohammed listed uh some things, but I keep copious notes because I'm closest to them as a resident, and I have to deal with this 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We don't get any respite.

There's no point at which we're not dealing with something going on at Shady's Corner.

So I'm gonna run through my list of violations as we've had to endure them.

Vandalism, we've had windows broken out of our home, cars damaged.

There have been shootings, stabbings, break ins of cars, there have been fights, there are open containers laid out on the ground every night.

We deal with trash and litter.

There have been drugs sold, used and exchanged in the open.

We see it every day.

Drink spiking, sexual assault, open gunfire.

We're in the crosshairs.

The road is blocked, uh, emergency response uh access is limited.

They utilize a lot of city services.

They're always police, always emergency responders on site.

There's illegal parking, cars being told, blocked driveways, destruction of mailboxes, destruction of street signs.

We've had three vehicles damaged as a result of Shady's patrons.

Yard signs are removed.

There's public urination.

My wife and daughter have to sit on the porch and watch men come and just urinate on the hedge rolls.

There's lottery, they just stand in my yard on the weekends.

They act as if they live there, and I have to confront them.

And the police give me grief as if I'm the if I'm the bad guy.

They yell all night.

There's uh a public address system that they use that blares, and we have to hear all of it every hour.

They're making some announcement about cheap beer.

And that's can I go on?

You give you a little few more.

All right.

So there's loud, amplified music uh being played.

Uh the patrons drive up and blare their stereo systems right at our front door or underneath a bedroom window.

The garbage truck comes at four o'clock in the morning, the beer trunk comes at five o'clock in the morning.

There's always clandestine foot traffic.

The police chase bad guys through our yard and don't give us any explanation.

Uh young students run up and down the street.

They're really young people that go to Shady's.

And I'm 21, I'm not sure about it because they act like they're 15.

Um, and I'm sure the services at the mosque are interrupted by a lot of this.

There's a lot of debauchery that goes on, and those women and children that attend the mosque have to see that.

Shady is dangerous, it is chaotic, and it's been a nuisance.

And if I would ask you all to in making a decision today, consider all of that.

That's my experience.

That's what I've had to deal with.

So I want you to recognize that.

And we are terrorized.

And so, you know, given that, I'll ask you, would you want to live there?

Thank you very much.

With all of that going on.

Thank you, sir.

I appreciate it.

One last thing.

Odd story is 400 yards away, and they close down at 10:30.

They go home.

I've never seen a problem there.

All right, thank you.

Okay.

Next person.

State your name, please.

F-A-I-S-A-L-S-A-E-E-D.

Good morning.

Uh, my name is Fessel Said.

I'm a chaplain for Chattanooga Police Department and also a member of Mayor's Faith Leaders Committee.

But today I'm here not as chaplain, but as a concerned citizen.

Even though in my service to the police department, I have stood with officers, civilians, supported families from every walk of life.

My mission both in my service and as my citizen life is to help everyone in need.

I'm asking this board to take a firm and fair stand to revoke the beer license of this establishment, as you've heard.

What's happening there is not a business or freedom.

It's about respect, safety, and accountability.

That establishment has repeatedly turned a peaceful residential and faith area into what you call it a scene of chaos and disrespect.

Like you heard, the patrons have been caught on camera urinating on the Islamic center property.

You have had where people came on the ring camera and had obscene gestures.

You have heard that there were multiple shootings.

You have heard that they were cocaine selling.

Every single thing.

Like I said, as a chaplain, when I would see all this, even one of those things is enough to take action.

And we had so many things going on, and nothing has been done so far.

So which means these families that are living over there, they have to put up with it.

You heard from that person.

It's just one of those examples.

The thing is, this all that's happening, the arrests made, all the sexual assaults, all the parking issues, all the noise issues, that should be alarm for us.

That should tell us that we should have it's not just a disturbance, but it's a public safety concern.

As a chaplain, I believe in forgiveness.

But at the same time, I also believe in accountability.

Because forgiveness goes so far.

The person, that establishment, the business had to be held accountable.

And that's all we are asking to protect our children, our elders, worshippers, the people living over there, the even the officer that respond.

Because like this person said, next time we we heard that an officer got assaulted, and I care about those officers.

I do not want to see any harm come to them.

I don't want to see any arm come to any of our of our shippers or any of the citizens for that matter.

So today I respectfully ask this board, please ask act decisively.

Revoke the license and send a message in our city that community in our city comes before profit, and respect in this city still matters.

Let's restore peace, dignity, and safety to this neighborhood for every single person that lives it and said that calls it home.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay.

Yes.

State your name, please.

My name is Bill Lockhart, and I'm a resident of Jefferson Heights.

Been there 17 years, been a citizen taxpayer property owner in Chattanooga for 38 years.

And uh not in quite as long as the Islamic Center has been in their present location.

Folks, I'm gonna tell you, nobody on this board, nobody on council, no citizen of Chattanooga should be subjected to yes, the terror that our neighbors have been subjected to over the last two and a half years.

Assignation, fornication, urination, it's all there.

And as my dad used to say that ain't right, especially in public.

None whatsoever.

All this stuff that goes on, it's up until three o'clock in the morning and past.

Rudolph said that uh it really goes on 24-7 because there's noise all the time.

Look, the folks who live on uh on 14th Street, they can't they can't go a couple blocks away and and uh uh buy 400,000 condo.

They can't, you know.

Folks of the 40,000 uh uh war dead and uh veterans who are buried in the cemetery, they can't complain.

So it's up to citizens to say this is enough.

This is enough, folks.

You know, and the complaints of drink spiking, do you ever hear that at any other bar in Chattanooga?

Here and there, just here and there.

You hear it uh at Shady's Corner.

They got what 10 parking spaces, maybe 300 people inside and outside, the noise and the crowd spill over, the police officers are and the security, they're running catch up, right?

Because they are overwhelmed, overwhelmed.

Look, I live four blocks away, maybe five.

Yeah, I've gone to Shady's a few times.

Uh it gets crazy, crazy, after say 11:30 at midn at midnight.

Crazy after say 11:30 at midnight at midnight.

I'm just gonna say to all of you, and all the folks who are representing our citizens in Chattanooga.

Do something about this.

Long past time.

And to paraphrase, John Taffer.

Shut it down.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Bill.

Yeah.

Yes, sir.

Good morning.

I'm John Roland, association president for Jefferson Heights.

Um Jefferson Heights, it's neighborhood, everything should be families, community.

Um I brought some neighbors from 16th Street, uh, the particularly aggrieved neighbors from 16th Street.

Um over the summer, we have just had a litany of problems from the clubs on the periphery of our neighborhood.

Three, four, five o'clock.

Litter, noise, property damage, serious uh issues.

And our friends from the Islamic Center brought it up.

Everything but the homicide that will be inevitable not to escalate it too much.

Umtably of late, it's been the let's paint um paint and sip.

They have a number of names and started out as like a place you could maybe drink wine and paint.

I spoke to the owner several weeks ago after a number of complaints and sending videos of crowds to the police department.

Uh apparently uh she's augmenting her income by renting it out as a as a as an event space at night.

So there's private parties, they're coming from inside, they're spilling outside, and then really took the cake last weekend, Friday night and Saturday night.

It's now spilled from the parking lot down Madison Street, videos.

It looks like there was going to be an altercation.

Uh, it's just getting very serious.

And I think Bill put it uh best.

You know, it's it's absolutely just enough.

Um the crowds are just deteriorating.

Uh, our quality of life, and and we just need either greater oversight, close early, close people down.

I don't know what the answer is, but I said this to my wife a couple weeks ago when when Shady's had the police officer assaulted, and it's become our mantra in the neighborhood.

Nothing good happens at 3 a.m.

Right.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Okay.

Hello.

My name is Nicole Davis, and I'm the owner of Less Paint.

Put your microphone down or something and get in.

Right here.

Yeah.

That's good.

Just speak up.

Speak up.

Speak up.

It won't be a good thing.

Oh, okay.

All right.

My name is Nicole Davis, and I'm the owner of Less Paint by Zilliarts.

Um there hell there has been complaints about someone in the neighborhood, they came to my building and told me that, hey, you know, there's cars out in a parking lot.

You know, they feel like it's too many cars, too many people in the parking lot.

And they say also like the music is too loud.

So I talked to a sergeant about it, you know.

Like, what do you suggest I do?

He said, if I was you, I would get security to um be in a parking lot to like keep your parking lot down, you know, have the music at a certain level, you know, even if you have to go outside your building and listen to, you know what I mean, like to see if the music is too loud.

So I hired us, okay.

So the first time that I let someone host an event at my building, um, there was a crowd in a parking lot, and I did see that, but when the uh neighbor said something to me about it, that's when I talked to the sergeant.

So um it was nothing I can do at that day because that was like the first the first night that it had happened.

So I called around and I called a security company and I was like, hey, can you come here?

You know, I need you to do this, like, you know, keep the parking lot down.

I don't want no one standing around in a parking lot.

I don't want anyone sitting in their cars.

If they're not coming in, they have to leave.

So um, you know, so when the security company came, I actually had to email the supervisor and let them know, hey, they're not doing their job, like people still in a parking lot.

You know, I asked your, you know, the guy on the security team to uh keep the parking lot down and ask the people to leave, you know, and it seemed like they was just afraid to speak up and and tell people, you know, to go ahead and leave.

So, you know, I'm emailing the the lady, the supervisor, like it's probably like 2 a.m.

You know, she emailed me back the next day.

She was like, I'm so sorry, you know, that this happened.

Um, you know, you like she was saying something about the money, like you don't have to pay us.

I was like, she said, we'll come back the next day.

I was like, no.

So I called a different security team.

Um I feel like they has been doing um a good job, you know.

So sometimes people park now.

There's parking um signs in my parking lot.

Since I've been there, I've been there for 20 months.

There was no parking signs.

I don't care.

People come and they park in my parking lot.

I let them park there.

I don't harass anyone, I don't say anything.

One of the neighbors behind me had a wedding at their house, and they're directing everybody to my parking lot.

Yes, park here, park there.

You know, I don't say anything because I don't mind, I'm not open.

You can use the parking lot.

Airbnb right there.

I tell the girls like I don't mind, you can use my parking lot.

You know what I mean?

So people park right there all the time.

I see them walk off.

So the incident that he was referring to, was it at my building?

I don't know.

I didn't see the incident.

I didn't see these people walk from my building.

I know a lot of people do park there and they walk other places because I'm like the only parking lot on Main Street that does not have paid parking.

So a lot of people do come over there.

You know what I mean?

So I'm calling like the alcohol board, um, I call the health department, um, I call the beer board, like I'm just calling everyone to see what can I do.

You know, I don't talk to the people in the neighborhood because they you know, like the lady um it was someone on the beer board who lived behind me, and she was saying, like encouraging them to um, you know, just keep calling the cops, keep making complaints on me, you know what I mean?

Well, okay, thank you very much for your comments.

Okay, thank you, ma'am.

Okay.

Next person.

Hello, my name is uh Ron King, and um let's paint.

Um the property has been in my family for over 50 years, and there's really never been any issues.

Uh my parents were there 30 years, private um private club.

Nicole, uh, like she said, she's been there for about 20 months, and there has been no problems except for the past month or so.

She's trying to revamp things and do things differently to generate income.

So she's leasing the building out, and um people are having gatherings that last about three, uh, which is legal.

She's operating within the law.

Um, but I think one of the issues is that there's no communication between the community and her.

Uh, there's a group chat that they have, and Miss Betsy is encouraging all the other community members to keep calling the cops.

And the cops come, they find no issues, they leave, but they're they keep getting these phone calls.

Trying, they're trying, I feel like that the community is trying to force a narrative that's not there.

You know, when they could really just go talk to Nicole, work something out and work together as a community.

You know, but um I really don't see what the real issue is.

Like I said for 18 months, she wasn't really getting a crowd.

It did start as a sipping paint that wasn't really doing well, the community wasn't supporting it.

Uh so she went back to the drawing board, tried something different, and now it's generating a crowd, it's generating because technically downtown that property is the only property that really has a big parking lot.

You know, so the people can gather there, and they do have a right to come in.

Uh if they're playing music, they can play their music.

You're gonna hear doors close, you're gonna hear all of those things.

And like I said, it was a club before most of those people moved there.

Why would you move to a place where there's that type of activity if it's gonna be a problem, you live in the city limits.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Sandra Marshall, and I do live on 16th Street behind them.

And I've called Sandra Marshall.

On 16th Street.

And um we've been there since 2015.

And when Park City was there, not Let's Paint one.

Park City was there, we had no issues whatsoever.

But since then, I've been told it's a special events place, so our closing times are not part of the picture.

So I kind of want to know what is the Zoom, because they're not there until three in the morning.

They're there till 5, 5:30.

And it is like literally 20 feet of my back.

Part of my house.

And one day on a Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., excuse me, my husband and I were in the garage and heard an escalating argument.

And we opened the garage door.

There was a gunshot coming from Let's Paint across the parking lot.

We have kids back there that ride their bikes in an alley.

And that shot could have been deflected anywhere.

But there are two shots.

I called the police.

I called them.

I you can look at my records with the police department.

I called them a lot for noise complaints.

We've had um excuse me.

We've had calls for noise for breaking in.

We've had a garage broken into twice.

What else do we have?

They break into cars all along our street all the time.

And then we even had police in our backyard one time chasing a suspect.

And the guy threw his gun under the porch next door.

So I just think it's creating a chance, like for that homicide that people are waiting for.

It could have happened to any of those kids in the alley that day.

We were back there.

So that's just what I wanted to say.

And I am definitely 10 feet from or 20 feet from them.

So I hear it all the time.

Thank you.

And I just want to think after the microphone, yes, sir.

And you'll have to respect your name.

Okay.

Hey, John Rowland again from Jefferson Heights.

Um, people have a right to have a business and make money, but you know, we're not a bunch of shrieking Karen's, right?

We have this uh on video, and we're not just gonna ask people business to be shut down.

We invited Let's Paint to our community meetings specifically to address uh business owners, and they declined the invitation.

Chewy Escavez from Cabanas Club, he attended Freddie Schwang from exile.

I was able to speak to him at length on a Saturday morning.

He was in Nashville, he couldn't make it.

So you know we want to do it the right way.

We're not looking, we have nothing personal against anybody.

But again, it's not three, it's four, it's five.

It's late.

And last weekend, private property.

So, whatever the reason, you know, we have a legitimate beef, and we've tried to solve it in a mature way.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Next person.

One mocking street.

Yes, sir.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You'll be next.

Okay.

Uh my name is Kazim Awad.

Um Q A S I M.

And the last name Awad AWAD.

So I'm running a business at the mall for almost 10 years.

And I am in my free time, I'm volunteer to teach the kids Arabic language and uh moral things for the kids, how to behave and respect the others.

I went to visit this Islamic center a few months ago, and uh when we was trying to pray, it was the prayer was almost about one hour inside the building.

We couldn't focus at all because the very loud uh music and the people screaming and shouting.

And the thing that surprised me, my kids never went back there after that, because they felt it was very dangerous when we finished the prayer on the street.

It was almost three hours after the sunset.

So the females was running like half naked front of the Islamic center and that the shaded corner on the middle of the streets, the men like running behind or around.

The it's a highway, it's uh like a uh main street.

There is a lot of cars driving very fast.

Those people were leaning on the street, and the female was on the middle of the street with no shoes, laying down, the cars are using the home, the traffic lights was red and green, it was very miss and very dangerous, even for their lives.

That's what I saw before, and I tried to mention that.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Alvin Ockman.

Uh I was born in South Georgia, but I lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee for 70 years of my life.

And I'm one of the first people in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that when Islam started arriving in Chattanooga, so I were here.

And I want to just uh convey to the town that as being a Muslim and understanding that the scope of the world, have some understanding of the scope of the world, we want Chattanooga to be a beautiful international city where people from all over the world can come and feel comfortable and have a place to worship.

And that's my aim.

I love Chattanooga.

It's a beautiful city.

I've been here most of my life.

And I would just like to see you know, for the people to have a good environment when they go to worship.

And it's not uh conducive for the bar to have a loud crowd in music and smoking uh and drinking on the street.

So that's why I'm here.

I will I love Chattanooga.

I'm a Chattanooga.

I was born here, but as you look at the audience, you can see that this is an international audience, and we want Chattanooga to be a beautiful international city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you name again, real slow because I couldn't hear it.

Your name.

Oh my name, so I'm sorry.

My name is Alvin A Rockman.

Spell that last name.

A R dash Capital A R H M A A E.

Got it.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Hi.

My name is Mustafa Kuliballi.

M U S T A P H A.

Last name Kulibaly, C O U L I B A L Y.

So I've been in Chattanooga since 2015.

And uh fast forward.

So I've been in the community ever since I joined.

I mean, I moved to Chattanooga, well, uh via Amazon.

And uh I've been in this community, being a member of the community, and I remember a couple years ago when Shetty Corner opened.

We were pleading with you about the potential consequences that could have in the community.

And uh unfortunately, we were not heard, but now you have the evidence to the teda, you know, from the city that Shady Corner is a dangerous environment for our children, our wives, our mothers, our sisters, even our brothers to drink, rape, and even violence.

So I'm not I'm not gonna be wrong.

The dead speak for themselves, I'm sorry, I'm gonna go nervous.

That's okay.

Let me take a break.

It's okay.

This is very emotional, and uh whoever thought it was a good idea to put a bar, you know, that would be called Shady Corner, less than 500 feet from a mosque, was you know, suddenly you know, thinking clearly.

And again, I mean again, we see receiving consequences.

We're proud parents, we cannot have a place of depravity, that's a place of moral.

And we ask you to again consider.

We know that Chattanooga is a beautiful city, as you can see, the community is very diverse.

Ivan is one of the pioneers of this community.

I'm at a part of the community.

I'm from the Irish coast.

I came here, I found a home in Chattanooga.

I serve in the Navy, and this is my country, I'm proud of this country.

So do not judge us because of our accents, because we don't look like you, because we don't speak like you.

We are parental, we love our community, we love our city.

I had the possibility to move out of Chattanooga many years ago.

I chose to stay here as been saying because of this mosque.

It's an old building, it's ugly, but it means a lot to me and to all of us.

So we are asking you to do the right thing and shut it down.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, I'm Rafik Abdul, R-A-F-I-Q, A B D U L.

I was not prepared, as you can see.

I just heard simply silent support to take an action, right?

So after seeing this, and uh the people who came here to support everybody in the heart, that's what they have.

But fear to speak in public is uh it's kind of so I have my wife, my daughter.

I ask her to go and speak, she don't want to speak, so anyway.

So all I'm here to say is I didn't realize this.

Um, Brother El I mean is it has to go through this past two years, this many count of police incident.

That's amazing because I live in Saudi Daisy, my neighborhoods.

I uh, you know, I live with the white white folks, and no problem all these years.

So I've been here in Chattanooga, I mean Saudi Daisy, I work in TVA, uh blind um 25 years.

I have no police incident or anything in my neighborhood.

I know it's no police car or anything, and I've been in Tennessee for 35 years.

So I'm a proud tendency, and that's all I want to say.

Just take a right action.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Good morning.

My name's Connie Harrell.

I live in Harrell, H E R R E L L L.

I live in Jefferson Heights on Adams Street, and our neighborhood is has several uh bars, nightclubs surrounding us.

We are most affected in my area by Cabana's nightclub.

And I have my own list of complaints about that.

But a common denominator I see is that the city is offering permits to these businesses that clearly do not coincide with the um the lifestyle that the city wants us to have.

I chose to live in the city.

I like the vibrancy.

I love to walk to a bar and have a drink, and but I feel that some of these businesses that surround us are not cohesive to our peaceful style of life.

And it's not that we don't want people to enjoy theirs, but these types of businesses are not suitable and they don't blend with how we're wanting to live.

And mainly because we have these disturbances in the wee hours and we can't sleep, it's noisy, our cars are damaged.

My car right now is in the shop because of some damage from some party goers at cabanas.

You know, it's a it's a very big disruption.

So not only would I ask that you consider these complaints about cabanas, let's paint, and um shadies, especially, um, but I also ask that in the future, when you're you know, people petition to consider that there are res where the residences are and how closely, how how much it makes sense to have them as close as they are to residential areas.

Thank you for hearing me.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Yachia Burashid.

It's called that place, sir.

Y A H Y A A B D U R R A S H I D.

I'm a lifelong member of the Islamic Center.

Um here in China all my life, basically.

Um, when they actually put forth the proposal to build this place, Shady Club.

Um it caught a lot of the a lot of us off off guard, kind of like by surprise.

Uh even more so after it started materialize and come into effect.

We had no idea that it was going to be this.

So in retrospect, the urban, I think it's the urban zoning.

Um this proposal they had to submit to y'all.

It's kind of like echoes with the young lady was talking about when you people come before you with an ideal proposal to build a certain thing and give an ideal to try to sell you an idea of allowing them to build these things, you know, they they put it in a way that's gonna best suit them.

And this is what happened, but the end result is where we're at right now.

And a lot of that is a reflection on feel like you know, y'all was deceived, just like we was deceived.

You got people in the community can't even enjoy their community because people with these kind of arterial motives are seeking to make a profit at the expense of our lifestyle, uh enjoyment, uh peace, being able to raise our families.

It's unfair.

You know, so I think it was also unfair to you guys that you know you were somewhat duped.

You know, so now you hear it's time to make this decision.

You heard a lot.

I don't need to go through a list of complaints.

The only thing we haven't had is a death, which if we continue on this path, you can't miss it.

So who life is worth the few dollars Shady Shady is making?

Whose life is worth there?

Not no one I know.

Beer, food liquor, song and dance.

It's not worth my life.

I don't think it's worth yours.

You have a very, very weighty decision in me.

And we plead, we plead, we pray that God give you consciousness, ears to really hear what we're saying.

We're not trying to provide anyone of their rights.

We're just trying to enjoy our rights.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

My name is Gloria Rudolph.

Gloria Rudolph.

We live right next door.

Twice.

Emergency have had to come to our house and couldn't get there because of all the parking.

And we try to block it off, but when Shady's patrons come, they come and push our garbage can with their vehicles all the way down that street.

We've complained, we've complained.

I know the police, they're tired.

I don't feel safe.

I've had encounters with different people because I've asked.

Please don't park because we have emergencies.

We're gonna need to go whenever we need to get out the drive.

I've had people to get out their cars and come in our yards and threaten me.

And when my son or my husband is not there to forgive me because I'm so emotional about this.

And it's good to see the unity that's here today.

But let me say this to give you a picture.

Two and three o'clock in the morning, you might be asleep.

I'm sitting by my window in the living room praying.

When is this going to stop?

Three, four.

Still goes on.

They supposed to shut down at three.

They have a party outside from four or five, just like it's the river band or something going on.

And I know the police are tired.

I've talked to the police.

They're tired of my husband calling.

When they come and they look, it's like, okay, it's them again.

And I like I say, I know they're tired, but we're tired too.

I guess no rest.

I'm shaky right now from I'm sleep deprived.

I don't know when the last time I actually had sleep or rest.

When they finally move out of there, like he said, five o'clock.

They bring in beer, six o'clock, the dumpster's empty.

It's just something oh, the time over there.

I used to walk every morning, right by the paper company.

Can't do that now because of the stench, beer cans, beer bottles, just just the litter, rubbers.

So no more fun.

They they came down and pour their pants and pat the behind towards our house.

And I can't think of the other incident that my husband had with these people.

Um I can't remember what they said to you.

I think they call you a B I T C H because we keep calling the police because we don't feel safe.

But I just felt that I had to get up here, so you can see what it looks like for for me.

My daughter's in school, her studies are interrupted with all this nonsense.

Seven days a week.

Please.

We've been begging, please do something before someone gets killed.

And I thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All righty.

And I allowed to make a comment as a board member.

Yes, public comment.

Yes.

Can I stay up here?

You can get down if you want to get down there, that's fine.

Hi, since my name was drug into this, Betsy Hartman.

Um, I am a member of the beer board and I do live in Jefferson Heights.

I live next door to Mrs.

Marshall, who um we live right behind the Let's Paint.

I'm gonna give you just one example of the many times that we've called the police.

October 11th in the early morning.

They had continued to stay open since Friday night.

We had a flight.

We had to be at the airport at 6 a.m.

My alarm was set for 4 a.m.

At 3:23 a.m., I woke up because the walls in my bedroom were shaking from the music coming from the cars in the parking lot of Let's Paint.

My husband and I went upstairs.

We've got a very good view.

We can look right down into the parking lot, covered in cars.

There are cars, there are people, they're just hanging out, they're yelling, windows are down, music is blaring.

Called the cops.

I went ahead, I took a shower, we're getting ready, we packed, we're getting ready to go to the airport.

My husband goes around to the garage to pull the car around front.

This is now quarter of five.

There's a man that is wearing a shirt that says security.

We don't know what security company he's with.

My husband says, Are you the security?

He says, yes.

And he looks at his watch and he says, It's almost 5 a.m.

Why are these people still here?

And he says, I know I'm trying to get them to leave.

They didn't leave.

So that's just one of the many examples I'm gonna give you about Let's Paint.

And what I will say is that when they were a private club, we had zero issues with them.

Those folks were respectful.

They didn't stay out all night.

In fact, most of them, and I'm not gonna guess on their ages, but I'm simply gonna say they were mature and they went home at a normal hour.

They weren't there at midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m.

I would like as a board member to make a recommendation that we limit the hours that these bars can be open when they are adjacent to these residential areas.

It may not just be my neighborhood that is affected by this, it's the ones that we're talking about today.

But I would like to make a recommendation that we close these bars earlier.

3 a.m.

is ridiculous.

Nothing good happens after midnight.

Especially nothing happens good at 3 a.m.

And if there's not gonna be some sort of enforcement that says you have to be out of anything, that parking lot belongs to Let's Paint.

It is their responsibility to have those folks out of there at 3 a.m.

3 a.m.

is the maximum.

3 a.m.

is the limit.

Thank you for letting me speak.

Hello, my name is Nicole Davis.

Um, so I'm hearing you guys, and it sounds like y'all want me to close at a certain time.

Well, when I was telling you I was reaching out to these different people, they was I asked them what time do I have to close?

So long as I'm not selling, I don't sell alcohol, I don't sell beer after 2:30 a.m.

I am selling food.

My food sales has gone up.

You know, we was at a point to where I was about to close my business because I wasn't making it.

You know what I mean?

So me when I was doing the sipping paint, nobody from the neighborhood came to support me.

Me and my employees, we used to stand outside the door trying to hand out flyers.

Oh, no, thank you.

It's okay, and you know what I mean?

Like people keep walking.

I do free activities for kids.

I post them all the time.

I tell kids, hey, come do a free activity.

I'm doing free canvas paintings, free rock paintings, free come and make slime.

I'm doing discounts on all my activities.

The moon glow room, 35 dollars.

Come do the moon glow room free.

Nobody's coming to support me.

How I know because I'm there when they build and open and I'm there when they build and close.

I am the only owner of Let's Paint.

I don't have a lot of employees.

I definitely don't have a lot of money.

You know what I mean?

So if I operate within the law, if the law tell me that I have to close at a certain time, I don't care if I'm not making it.

I am going to close at that time.

They tell me I can't serve alcohol or beer after this time, I'm not going to do it.

If they tell me I can stay up and I can sell food just so I won't get put out on the curve, I am going to sell food.

I don't like being up in the a.m.

I have to make it.

I have to pay my bills.

I don't like being up 12 a.m., 1 a.m.

I feel like these complaints y'all had, you could have just walked over there.

You could have, hey, is the owner of Let's Paint here and set me down and talked to me about how you feel and what can we do to better the situation.

I'll the the neighbor that came to me and showed me all of this like complaining, this talking bad about the business.

I was like, oh my goodness, like it made me cry.

Because I feel like they treat me, you know, this is my first business.

I don't know.

I felt like y'all wasn't treating me like I was a person.

I worked on that building for three months before I got it up.

You write it what it was a private club, meaning no one really could go in there, and that's why it was so quiet.

That's a commercial building.

I made sure that I can do what I needed to do in that building before I got it.

I don't know how much y'all got in the HOA, but I'm willing to leave if you cut me a cheek.

I don't you think I don't want to be, I don't want to be in there like that.

Start coming in, start supporting me.

Start, get your group together and do a sleeping paint.

Hello.

My name is uh Abbas Shaheed, A P B A S H E H I D.

S H A H I D.

Um again, I don't have anything prepared either, but I did want to take the opportunity to um voice my frustration as well.

Uh I'm a member of the Islamic Center.

Um, as mentioned, you know, the noise complaints, the safety concerns, um, just the negative impact that uh that establishment has had, Shady's Corner has had on the community.

Um I think it speaks for itself, but um it's definitely a distraction and a safety hindrance to uh the members of the uh Islamic center.

So I I think you guys have the authority to you know revoke their license.

So I would again just urge you guys to to do the right thing.

You you see the evidence we have it on our cameras.

Um Hamid has mentioned all the uh times that you know the the authorities have to have had to come out there.

Um within that time frame, that's just crazy to hear that it's happened that many times and no action has been taken.

Um I think like we mentioned, it's it's definitely a problem for us.

Um we just we just don't want to see that to even to have to put up a sign that says don't urinate on our facility, it's crazy.

What kind of society are we living in that we have to tell humans?

I in my neighborhood, we have a sign for pick up after your animals.

That's uh uh an act, an animal does.

They're doing that because they're intoxicated.

Take that out of the equation, that won't happen anymore.

That's that's my belief.

So um, and the other thing that I want to just mention, you see all these people here, they've taken time out of their day, they've taken time out of work to be here because it is important to us.

I just want you guys to take that into consideration and again just do the right thing.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Yeah, go ahead.

Um, I'm Naseem Mohammed Nassim Mohammed.

N-A-S-E-E-M.

Nasim Mohammed M O H A M M E D.

And I'm here to talk as a parent.

My daughter is a student of UTC, and uh, this is the closest mosque to the UTC students.

So many of them come to here to attend the prayers.

And uh, I mean it we hadn't had any, we never have any problems with it.

But now, like after these like uh obscene gestures and the urinating, I'm really scared when my daughter says like I need to go and pray there.

And mosque is a place where we find peace, and we should not be afraid to go to a place like that.

Absolutely.

But now, like I'm getting scared when my daughter or the other friends or anyone like that, like they go to the masjid to pray, and we don't know like what's going to happen to them.

So that is my concern, and uh I request you all to like get take the right decision on this.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Hey, how's it going?

My name is Muhammad Kohal, M-O-H-A, M M-A-D.

Last name, K-U-H-A-I-L.

I'm a Muslim who lives about 45 minutes from this masjid, this mosque here in Chattanooga.

And I went to UTC in 2019, and I after classes were over, I went and prayed my prayer and went home for the day.

This was my safe haven from the outside world, society, everywhere, everywhere around me.

This was my safe haven.

And now a couple years recently, the shadiest corner has opened up.

And one day, I'm gonna mention one time that I did go there.

I don't go to UTC anymore.

But one time that I did go there for the night prayer, the last mandatory prayer that we got to pray at night.

It was around 10 o'clock at night.

I went inside, talked to Imam Hamad.

I said, Salaam Alaikum.

That music is disturbing.

He says, yeah, that's why we're trying to move out.

And it was he was talking to me about the complaints that they had.

One of them was that the police officer's enforcement of the parking situation over there.

The parking situation is not good.

It's a very small area.

You don't have a lot of cars able to park there.

During the Friday prayer, and around midday, you have a lot of Muslims come over to park there.

And they're in places where they can't be parked.

And the police give parking tickets.

But whereas that same Friday night, you have the bargoers that go park on the mosque property, and they park in their areas where they're not supposed to be.

And they don't have any complaints from the or they don't, they don't, they Imam Hamad has called the police and uh they haven't done their due diligence to try to enforce the parking situation over there.

All I'm saying is I I went there that one time and there were no parking, so I had to park all the way around that.

They walk all the way back to the mosque.

And uh things I've seen, I have never been inside a bar establishment in my life.

So the things I've seen were just not exactly what I was accustomed to.

But besides that, thing is I just I I overheard a conversation and this was this is evidence, my witness testimony of saying that there has been urinating.

And yeah, I've heard a conversation.

Somebody spoke in colloquial English language of basically saying I have to go to the bathroom.

I'm not gonna say that.

But he says, oh, I gotta go to the bathroom.

He said then someone responded to him, oh look, there's a corner over there.

And he says, no, that's littering.

And then he I didn't hear nothing after that.

I walked by and just kept going.

And I went to the mistjid.

I went to the mosque.

And that's just one of the many complaints that this establishment has been having.

And I do suggest for respectfully that you guys consider trying to revoke this license that they have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, we're gonna take a five-minute recess.

Is there anyone else that wishes to address the board today?

I got one other question I want to ask.

You know, meant to ask this a minute ago.

My name is Yachi Abdul Rashi.

I wanted to ask about the uh the uh zoning.

Um the zoning is outside of our jurisdiction completely.

Okay.

That is something that will have to go before the city council.

Okay.

All right, I got you.

Thank you.

Got it.

Thank you, sir.

All right.

Is there anybody else that has any other statements?

Uh we're gonna take a five-minute recess and then we'll come back for you, okay?

So we'll be back in session in five minutes.

Come back to order.

Wait just a minute till our everybody else is here.

Lon had the lady at a doctor's appointment.

And broke handle.

Okay.

All right.

So we will uh then open the public comment section.

Is there I enjoy the lively conversation, by the way.

Thank you all for discussing and talking.

That's how we get things done here.

Is there anyone else that wishes to make a public comment today?

Yes, sir.

Please step up to the microphone and state your name and spell it for the course.

It's actually from eight PM to midnight.

How would you like something like that going on next to whether it's a church, a mosque, or a synagogue?

So you have to consider that.

Thank you.

And I'm a Chattanooga native, uh born here, went to school here, both high school and and college.

So I'm as entrenched as it comes.

Uh my family was here in the 80s, and so it was a must have started in that location in the 80s, oldest Musk in Chattanooga.

Um I think y'all have heard all the moral uh quand that's been going on and why that goes against everything for anybody, really, not just us Muslims, just any decent person should feel that hurt.

Um what I'd like to bring to the table is the questions about the zoning.

Uh, I understand that that was allowed based on the old zoning code for the UGC and C3 where there was the exception of the 500 rule uh from the state code.

Right.

Um now that the new zoning code is in, that's a CMU one, and I'm not gonna set stand up here and claim that I understand how that works legally, but how does that groundfather uh situation work?

Uh that's a question.

I know the zoning board is separate, but I think this very relates to the beer board's decision, how they move forward with that.

And if the city decides that they're gonna pass a new ordinance for groundfathering andor including these new zonings, um I guess there should have been some public uh comment coming up uh before any of that happened, and I haven't heard of it.

Uh y'all can feel free to enlighten me if there was.

Um that's all I got.

I won't beat a dead horse.

Y'all heard all the complaints.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Yes, anyone else?

Yes.

My name is Macy Rudolph, M-A-C-I-A-R-U-D-O-L-P-H.

And as my parents have mentioned, it's a very scary scary place to live.

Not only do we have to be scared of going to sleep at night, but what else is going on in the community?

And as the Islamic people have mentioned, there's a lot going on.

People are urinating, doing whatever they feel like.

That's not that's not a good place to live.

And as a college student trying to better my family and be able to provide better, how can I do that if I'm not able to get sleep?

I can't study.

Scary.

So please take into consideration everything that we mentioned.

Please shut them down.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Anyone else?

All right.

Well, uh, first of all, uh, as chairman of the board, I would like to personally thank everyone for being here today.

Uh this is an emotional subject for you, and it's an emotional subject for us.

Uh, so we will do our best to try to emphasize the need of your community and emphasize the world you live in right now.

And it's not a pretty world.

From what we've heard today, this is not good for you.

It is not good for the city of Chattanooga, and not good for all citizens of this city.

So again, we thank you very much for your comments today, and uh follow us closely.

That's that's why we're here is to have to have this forum for you.

And uh we will proceed as a board.

We won't take any action today, but we will proceed as a board to evaluate what we've heard, to consult with the police department and with city officials and determine what is our best course of action.

So again, I personally would like to thank every one of you for taking time out of your days, out of from away from your jobs, away from your work, away from your families to be here today.

And we take that with great seriousness.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

All right.

Is there anything else before the board today?

Is there any discussion now on our part?

Or I don't know, I'm just wondering.

We uh we can discuss this, but there's really no action we can take uh today.

So if we would like to have a discussion, it's let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six.

So we do have a quorum, so we can continue to have a meeting.

So, yes, any if any board members wish to have a discussion or comment on this, please please do so at this time.

Well, my discussion is not on this.

I want to make a uh, I don't know, city attorney, you had addressed me, make a motion to take to city council that they address the city ordinance on going back to making sure the city ordinance is clear regarding the fine.

I think that need to go back to uh city council for them to be able to address that and get the next sense right.

Uh I don't know how we do that, or we just need a motion for that, Catherine, or can you?

Um I think so.

Okay, so all right, we'll deal with that issue first, then so uh if you'll restate your motion, please.

Uh I make a motion that this board uh sends to city council to revisit the city orders to make it clear regarding the fines being paid.

The time limit that is correct.

All right, time limit.

So there it's a motion.

Is there a second?

I'll second that.

Second further discussion.

That's my sheet.

Uh Christy.

Veronica.

Yes.

Uh JW.

Yes.

Reginald.

Yes.

Betsy.

Yes.

Zach.

Yes.

Chairman votes, yes.

All right, thanks.

Yeah, any board members have any other uh discussion or statements they'd like to make.

Make a statement.

Yes, ma'am.

I'd like to say to the audience members at a hearing regards to Shady's and the other nightclubs.

I sympathize with what you're going through.

There's a lot of heartfelt comments that's been made today, and I'm gonna take those into consideration.

And I pray that the board members also take all of this in consideration in making a decision on what to do with Shady's corner.

Thank you.

And I like to um echo her statements as well.

Um hearing from the community uh members, whether you live there or you attend the mosque.

Um it's really concerning to hear some of those um statements.

Um, and we will definitely take uh into consideration what everyone has said and um figured out a next step forward for you all.

Thank you.

Okay, any other comments.

I just want to say uh my heart is broken.

I mean, frankly, um I can't believe we haven't gotten any violations regarding Shady's corner.

Is will it is mind-boggling to me.

Yeah, and something needs to be done.

Um thank you so much for coming out.

Uh heard loud and clear.

Um, everyone who spoke was heard loud and clear.

Um, and we'll do you know, I'm gonna do everything in my power to try to remedy the situation within our limits, you know, and we're gonna have to get our heads wrapped around what we have authority to do and what we don't have authority to do.

Right.

Um, so okay.

I think the main thing is uh for you all as you leave here.

Uh I don't know if you know that they have not been cited to come before us.

So when there's no citation to come before us, there's only so much we can we can oh that we can do besides the discussion to bring them before us.

So I want to let you all know that as well, but our hearts go out, and we have heard everything we said that you've said.

Right.

How do we bother?

Uh with us uh continue to contact uh beer board, I guess Bertha, and y'all continue to make moves, contacting uh CPD, calling, uh go to city council.

That's right, as well.

Uh that's the first thing I would say hit city council, second, keep talking to sergeants and CPD and uh, but we uh can't even do anything besides discuss until we until they've been cited until they've been signed.

It's a history that uh regulatory unit needs to all of the violations they have not been signed.

211 just sit here.

I agree.

Uh that's CPD when they the officer that shows up on site.

So let me ask what we asked as with the last incident that took place that was public.

Um I'm sorry, were they cited with this last incident that was taking place?

Uh that was taking place there, um, where I think someone was arrested and some other incident that was happening.

Police did a thing or something.

I think they cited for that incident, but not to come before the beer board, if that makes sense.

I believe so.

Is that right, Sarge?

A lot of people are arrested.

We can't do anything until court is done.

So court will have to do that to go through court, decide what they're gonna do for there, then we can look into it after that.

So that's the that's the procedure that you have to follow.

If there's arrest and the court rules, then once the court rules, then you start looking to see if we uh we become involved.

Okay.

There can't be any junction clause of that stuff.

It's even more complicated than that on our end because the hearing officer would have to, when a citation is received, there's a hearing officer that the city has, and he holds a hearing that we all attend, and he makes a recommendation of what the consequence should be, and then we have to approve that recommendation or change it.

So unfortunately, our hands are tied by the process that the city council has put in place.

That's correct.

Um and I hate that council.

I hate that.

I'm just telling you, in this situation, it breaks my heart.

Yeah.

Um none of us up here are happy about this at all.

But city council, the people that are elected are the ones who can change the system.

The people that are elected are the ones who can change the system.

We can put pressure on them just like you can put pressure.

We can petition them as our board to say we've got to do something about this.

This is terrible.

So just one question.

Um reference to all the complaints that have come in.

Is it that not the regulatory unit here system that can go out and cite those people for those violates?

Do you all have that authority?

Uh it depends on what the complaint is.

You got 511 on your uh I understand, and the city council will have 511 of them to look at too.

And I'm just saying from from from your house from your ability until the until the Chattanooga until the Chattanooga Police Department regulatory unit cites them with a violation of the code that we are in that we regulate, we can't do anything.

Correct me if I correct me if I'm wrong.

No, you can't.

No, we can't do anything.

Once once they cite it, so and it's obviously we've got a problem in the city that needs to be fixed.

Well, that's the that's the problem is what do you do in the meantime?

That's the that's what should prompt the city and the city council and our board to do everything we can to fix this problem.

Have you reached out to the council person of district seven?

I have several times now we retire my so upset with the council person, and she basically told me circles.

Thank you.

Say it about either again.

Uh I've sat with the council person when this was a very recent event when Kachety Corner first came on the scene and first started all the new nuisance and all the problems, and basically I was told was we can't do anything about it.

Um so I mean we've tried multiple avenues.

We've tried the police complaints, formal complaints of the department.

We've tried uh to talk through mayor's office.

I mean, we've tried a lot of things, probably not city council.

I mean, I'm guessing that's our next step, but there's been a lot of tries over the years, and almost to the point where it was gave up.

I mean, there was lawsuits, I mean all kinds of stuff was going on, and then now that it's a reoccurring issue and it's just getting worse and worse.

I mean, we can't just we can't just lay down and take it.

Got it.

All right, Chris.

Uh Chairman, if I may, Chris Anderson, Mayor Kelly's office.

I just want to make sure that people leave with correct information today.

City's corner is not in District 7, it is in District 8.

The dividing line is Central Avenue.

Let's paint is in seven, shady's is in eight.

Different people.

Okay, thanks.

Councilwoman Noel, is that the rest?

Yeah, yes.

Yeah, that's what I said.

Okay.

All right.

So excuse me, please.

Can I say one thing?

Uh yes, please.

Uh state your name, please.

Yes, my name is Mohammed Ahmed.

I'm the owner for Salama's jewelry at Hamilton Place Mulk.

My name is Mohammed M-O-H-A-M-E-D.

And the last name is Ahmed A H M E D.

I own two businesses in Hamilton Placemon.

After I heard Hammer today about everything that took place, the only thing it didn't take place is a homicide.

Leaving today without making a decision, or at least use all the means in your power to stop this.

You might see tomorrow homicide.

And each one of you would be regretting that they didn't make a decision.

That's all thank you very much.

I have a question in that regard.

Yeah.

If we make a recommendation to city council, like we just did about the time, would it come up on the agenda for city council?

Is there a way to put it on the agenda for city council?

Yeah, yeah.

Absolutely.

I believe there is, but that's a fill question.

I can get with him and see what the proper procedure is.

If you want to put this on the agenda for next time to discuss what, if any recommendation you want to make, we could do that.

And then I can publicly.

Well, I mean, the beer beer uh board meetings are pub of public record.

So if y'all want to come back and third, you know, sit through that meeting while the board discusses it, then you're more than welcome to.

So my question with all of the calls that have come in, I'm just looking at them.

Could the regulatory board not go back and look at some of those calls and maybe possibly cite for some of the some of those issues that I'm seeing?

Right.

I think it depends.

Um and it really just depends on what the citation is.

And there's there's not necessarily a statute of limitations, but there is a consideration of the time period in which the actual incident occurred.

Yeah, and when we put when we cite them.

Like that would that could potentially be an issue, especially on appeal.

And being board members, we see the news, we hear from other people, people call us about different stuff that happened, and I'm shocked.

More so now because I've actually heard it from the community and from the people that go to the malls.

I mean, like the young lady said she's afraid to have her daughters.

I would not want my daughters to go there or my sons, anybody because things that could happen.

Without a citation, we can't do anything.

I can't sit here and point fingers because right now it's a could have should have would have situation.

A lot should have been done before now.

So now we've got to get a citation before us because we can't just shut them down.

If it was my choice, I would have shut them down a long time ago.

I have a copy of uh Sergeant Wood's Arcetation.

Uh that he cited them uh before and he's saying from April the 7th to July 31st.

The reason he cited them is because of loud music and noise, and they had 10 complaints, and they had 89 complaints, and he cited them just for 10.

Okay.

So I mean justification is what she's saying is it's there.

All right.

You got a little bit more.

I don't want to tell anybody what you guys should do, but it sounds like excuse me.

Speaking and I don't bring it to the case.

I'm sorry, my name's uh again.

I'm not trying to tell anybody what to do, but it sounds like you guys can make a motion to bring this up to city council.

So if I can urge you guys to do that, uh that would be that would be great.

That is correct.

And sorry about what was your name?

You spoke earlier.

No, it's bringing back yeah, but the Tennessee Pots said something and I don't remember your name.

Yeah, yeah.

Y A H Y A B D U R R A S H I D.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

All right, sorry.

Also, I do want to make I do want to make some sort of motion today.

Okay, and we need to talk about the chair will entertain a motion.

We need to talk about what it's gonna be.

Um whether I don't I don't there's a couple questions, and I don't know where these would go.

One is whether we can go back and cite the shady's corner for all these past instances.

Um another question I have is what I essentially do we just ask that it be put on the agenda, and then we have the opportunity to show up, and the community has the opportunity to show up.

Is that something within our authority that we can do?

Like ask that what we put on the agenda specifically, like we guess it would be it's already in public comment, I suppose.

On the the city council has a public comment.

Yeah, city council has a public comment, but I I guess if if y'all want to iron out whatever recommendation you want to make to city council, we can put that under the discussion section of the agenda of the next meeting, okay, and then y'all can decide, and then that can be a thing, if that's what you mean.

We can't take action via public email, can we?

I mean, if if you want to reach out to your city council person about it, then as a private citizen, I would I would imagine you can in the meantime.

Also want to see if I make a motion because they name came up also if we can ask regulatory to visit Cabanas as well.

If we can ask regulatory to visit cabanas as well.

Their name came up.

I think if we're gonna deal with these, we need to deal with it.

If we're gonna ask them to visit cabanas, we need to ask them to go ahead and visit Shady.

Well, I'm coming back.

That's what I'm coming.

I'm walking slow, going there.

And uh if they can go visit cabanas simply because of the complaint.

But then uh I know this brother brought up when we did this before, we made a motion to have Sergeant Woods at that time to go visit several places simply because of the uh comments that we were getting.

If we could make a motion or act regulatory to go see uh Shady's as well, uh that's what I would like to see.

That would be the action, some type of action uh as we leave this place today.

So those are the two places that we have heard.

We heard about the uh paint.

Uh I know that I the let's play, but she's willing to talk to everyone and say, hey, let's come together.

But uh Cabana and uh Shady have not.

I if we can have some type of movement on that, I think the people that have taken off work and came, they will feel some type of assurance that they just didn't waste their day and come down here to complain, if not complaining, but to state their concerns, and nothing's been done.

If we could take an action, say, hey, can regulatory just stop by these places or whatever it is, I know they can, they've done it for me several times.

So go into Shady's corner for what?

It's right here.

Well, I they've been there 500 times.

I know I well, I know, but I'm just saying some type of move.

If we can't, if we can't go off of what we had before.

I would also like to uh point out that there may be open criminal investigations at this time, so that might also play a factor in the uh ability to investigate some of these issues temporary something that can be done.

Yeah, can I I I this can get shot down, but I want to make a motion that regulatory and or the police department visit Shady's Grove, Shady's Corner, uh Let's Paint, and Cabanas and report back to the beer board.

Okay, this is in all likelihood and find something to site at Shady's Corner.

But that would be my that would be my motion.

Second, if it's on the floor, uh there's another wrap.

I did, yes, ma'am.

Uh motion and second discussion to the motion.

I see nothing wrong with that at all.

My my only note that I'm gonna continue to say about let's paint is is that the original license was for a place where you would go and paint and drink some wine, and it is now become a place that she rents out to private individuals.

It's an event space.

It's not what the intent of the original license was for, so I would like to see the original license be investigated to see if she's operating if she's allowed to even rent that space out under the current license.

Well, I don't know if that's I don't know if that's the beer board.

I don't know.

No, that's not the I don't think that's the not her business license, but I mean beer license.

Is she allowed to sell beer to a at a private event like that?

I don't know.

I don't know beer to apply the TV.

Okay, no.

So all right, there's a motion on the floor.

Yes, you have discussion.

All right, I'll call a roll.

What do we let me vote on?

The mo to re to restate the motion, and I won't add commentary this time.

Okay, is to have regulatory and the Chattanooga Police Department visit Shady's Corner, Cabanas, and Let's Paint and report back to us their findings at the next beer board meeting.

Thank you.

Okay.

Any further questions to that?

Questions?

Okay, so in that five, so they're gonna visit just to make sure they got all the paperwork and stuff in order, right?

They're gonna go through all the whatever they do.

Whatever they do.

So I'm just wanted to see whether they don't okay.

Okay, all right.

We'll call a roll.

Christy.

Yes, Veronica?

No.

Uh JW.

Yes.

Reginald?

Yes.

Let's see.

Yes.

Zach?

Yes.

And the chairman votes yes.

All right, so we'll do that.

All right.

Again, thank everyone for being here today.

And this is not the end.

This is not the end of this.

This is the beginning.

As far as I'm personally concerned.

So with that, if there's no other business, is there a motion to adjourn?

We'll move.

All in favor of adjourning signify by saying aye.