A group of 62 Canton residents has filed a formal petition to revoke or prevent the renewal of liquor licenses at two neighborhood nightclubs that they consider highly bothersome. The petition was filed on March 30 with the State Board of Liquor License Commissioners against bars The Good Love and Huckas.
Residents of Canton, a neighborhood located near Fells Point that is home to a number of bars frequented by Hopkins students, claim that intoxicated patrons of those two establishments have caused significant disturbances to the peace in recent months. The petition sites numerous instances of "loitering" and "malicious mischief" such as screaming and shouting in the streets, public urination and vomiting, excessive horn-blowing and publicly exposed use of illegal drugs and open-container alcohol -- all occurring around the 2 a.m. closing time.
One of the petitioners' most pressing issues is a shooting incident that occurred outside of Huckas on March 19 in which six gunshots were fired. No one was injured and the two gunmen were later arrested, but this was not the first local firearms scare. A woman residing one block up from the bars was recently held up at gunpoint, and the culprit was eventually apprehended in Huckas.
"Huckas tends to be the worst offender, but both bars have given over a good deal of their operations to party promoters," said Jason Sermas, the Canton resident who led the initiative.
Sermas, who lives immediately behind both bars, explained that the problems generally spring not just from the bars themselves but rather from the bars' hosting of outsourced parties several nights a week. Flyers for these parties have made their way to the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus.
"The party promoter rents the premises and brings in patronage from anywhere he can find people. Often they go to universities to advertise parties," said Leigh Ratiner, lawyer, President and Chairwoman of the Board of the Northshore condominium group in Canton and drafter of the petition.
Ratiner admits that such party outsourcing makes it easier for the bar owner or manager to lose control of the situation, but holds that as no excuse for violations of city laws.
"The law is simple. You must police the area around the bar to prevent loitering. You may not serve intoxicated patrons and if you have entertainment, it must be inaudible at 50 feet from the source. None of these bars comply with the noise or loitering requirements," Ratiner said.
"These `parties' can happen at any time during the week. The music starts thumping, crowds gather, cars are illegally parked everywhere, and when everything is over at 2 a.m. the crowds spill into the street," Sermas said. He said he has personally witnessed three fist fights arise within such crowds.
As of March 25, police logs showed that there had been 18 calls by the Baltimore City Police Department to Huckas in the last 90 days, and three calls to the Good Love Bar. These police visits, however, have had limited effectiveness in abating the problem.
"The police come and shoo people away when they are called due to noise, fights and the like, though I have never witnessed a single arrest or ticket being issued," Sermas said.
Huckas and Good Love have been fined once each for serving alcohol to minors, but those appear to be the only offenses for which legal action has been taken. Neither Sermas nor Ratiner could provide information as to how many of the patrons of these establishments are college or graduate students, although they are most likely to be predominately non-residents of Canton.
"Most of the patrons of these five bars are not from the immediate neighborhood or from Canton. People from your own neighborhood tend not to urinate or regurgitate in their own neighborhood streets. They also tend to respect the neighbors by not being noisy in the wee hours of the morning," Ratiner said.
Jay Sikander, owner of Huckas, told the Maryland Daily Record that he was unaware of neighbors' disgruntlement with his bar but would be willing to negotiate something that would allow them to peacefully coexist. The owner of Good Love, who has owned the nightclub for 11 years and is a resident of Canton himself, also expressed surprise at his neighbors' hostility to reporter Suzanne Collins in a broadcast report on WJZ Channel 13 news.
A smattering of similar complaints have been registered against establishments in Hopkins' neighborhood, Charles Village.
"I am hearing many complaints regarding The Den. The complaints related to noise, underage drinking and noise outside of the establishment after hours. I also receive complaints when house parties become too large, loud and engage in serving alcohol to minors. Years ago, before I was CVCA president, an establishment called "Rootsie Kazootie" was shut down for much the same reason," said Dana Petersen Moore, president of the Board of Directors of the Charles Village Civic Association.
Of the 62 homes within 200 feet of Huckas, 54.8 percent of homeowners and tenants signed the petition. 51.8 percent of residents within 200 feet of Good Love have signed. The petitions submitted with the petition also included signatures of those who live within 400 feet of both establishments.
Liquor licenses must be renewed every May. A hearing for the Canton residents has not yet been scheduled, though one will likely take place in late April.
