Club Seven allowed to reopen under appeal, but the club plans to stay closed

Rachael Perry

Email: BTaylor@ABC6.com

Twitter: BTaylorABC6

PROVIDENCE R.I. (WLNE) – Rhode Islands Department of Business Regulation has ruled that Club Seven may reopen during its appeal process but under strict guidelines. However, Club Seven will remain closed, according to its lawyer. 

Nick Hemond, the lawyer for Club Seven, said the club is not ready to open its doors because they lost a substantial amount of money, inventory, and staff since it was shut down by the Board of Licenses. 

“Even if they were completely restored to full licensure they would not be open right now. ,” Hemond said.” 

Hemond said there was an effort to sell the business before it was shut down. 

“We have to clear the licensure of the business because whoever buys it is going to seek the transfer of the license to them. If it doesn’t work out then we will re-open,” Hemond said. 

After being shut down by the city’s Board of Licenses last week, Club Seven made an appeal to the states D.B.R. 

According to the D.B.R, Club Seven may reopen under the following circumstances:

  • Must close before or by 11:00 P.M.
  • No music, entertainment, or strobe lights of any kind.
  • Police detail required on Friday and Saturday evenings along with State holiday nights.
  • Increased security presence – stretching to monitoring patrons walking back to their cars thirty minutes before and after closing.  
  • Must submit a new security and nuisance plan before reopening.

“Requiring security on property they don’t own in an effort to their security staff into deputized police officers is not supported by the evidence, it’s arbitrary and clearly wrong,” Hemond said. 

The Federal Hill nightclub has been closed since June 30 after 28-year-old Stephen Cabral was fatally stabbed on the street outside by a group of men.

Police have made seven arrests in the course of their investigation into the murder. Police have also issued a search warrant for an eighth suspect, 23-year-old Sharkym Brown of Providence.

According to the states D.B.R, a hearing deciding Club Seven’s fate is to be set “at a time mutually convenient for the parties.”

@WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019

 

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