Club Where 21 Died Was Ordered Closed

Associated Press ^

[RCW2001]

CHICAGO Feb. 17 — The nightclub where 21 people were killed and 55 injured early Monday in a stampede was operating in violation of a months-old court order meant to close it down, authorities said.

"The owner knows damn well that he is not to open that second floor facility," Fire Commissioner James Joyce said Monday.

The nightclub has been cited for repeated building code violations and the city has been sparring in court with the owners of the nightclub since July 2002, officials said.

An attorney for the city of Chicago said officials plan to go to court as early as Tuesday to seek criminal contempt charges against the owner.

Joyce said fire department inspectors visited the first-floor restaurant, known as Epitome, in October, but did not visit the second-floor nightclub, known as E2, because they had no reason to suspect it was operating.

There were reports that as many as 1,500 people were crammed into the second-floor club when someone sprayed Mace or pepper spray to quell a fight about 2 a.m.

Witnesses described a frenzied scene of some people trying to climb through the ceiling, while others were trampled in the frantic rush for an exit, their faces and bodies flattened against the glass front door.

Some people fainted on the club floor; others were coughing and crying, gagging and blindly groping for any way out.

Police Commissioner Terry Hillard said investigators were trying to sort out conflicting stories about the source of the Mace or pepper spray and obtain videotape from inside the club. Witnesses said the spray may have come from the club's security guards trying to break up a fight between at least two women.

"Lives were tragically and senselessly lost, pinned down by a stampeding crowd," Hillard said.

"We will get to the bottom of this," he said. "Right now our investigation is at full tilt."

[cavtrooper21]

Bet the owner was a heavily contributing member of the local Democratic party, and "knew" "all the right people" when it came to getting the heat taken off of him for fire and building code violations? I'll also bet that if he was, it will never, never show up any where close to the "main-stream media.
Hey, this is Shy-town we're talkin' 'bout....

[NativeNewYorker]

Funny how it is obvious the reporter knows who the owner is but doesn't id the perp.

[Man of the Right]

Notice how many disastrous fires Chicago has? Another fringe benefit of machine one-party rule.

[Brimack34]

I find it a little weird taht 21 people could die and all the news is focused on a little snow storm. The eastern media bias alert.

[KneelBeforeZod]

was this an "urban" club? it would be racist to shut it down!!!!

[KneelBeforeZod]

Old habits die-hard. Those who remember "The Clique", find it difficult to refer to the modern, new Near South nightclub in its place as "E2."
Though the name and dTcor are different, the crowd hasn't changed much. Rump shakers still rule the day. Be warned: it can gets nasty on the dance floor; barely dressed women bump and grind with men who want to know just how low they can go.

Though E2 is host to a variety of special events and weekend parties, it's not uncommon to see the same people weekend after weekend after weekend. For a variety of faces, go someplace else. To dance and sweat and be just a bit freaky on the dance floor with a stranger, head to E2.

This isn't the place to drop in on if you're on a budget. The cover can range from $15 to $100 depending on the event and the drinks tend to be on the high end of the price range and the low-end of the potency meter.

All in all, E2 is great for an occasional visit. Only a special few can stomach it on a regular basis. (Venita Griffin)
http://centerstage.net/bars/e2-chicago.html

[Lancey Howard]

Bet the owner was a heavily contributing member of the local Democratic party, and "knew" "all the right people" when it came to getting the heat taken off of him for fire and building code violations?

I dunno.... let's see what the story says:

Joyce said fire department inspectors visited the first-floor restaurant, known as Epitome, in October, but did not visit the second-floor nightclub, known as E2, because they had no reason to suspect it was operating

LOFL, yep!

[mrsmith]

"inspectors visited the first-floor restaurant, known as Epitome, in October, but did not visit the second-floor nightclub"

The French consulate in Chicago had vetoed closing the restaurant, insisting the inspectors be given more time to do their work...

[William McKinley]

Takes about a second using Google. According to this:

This sprawling corner club has reinvented itself four times under the sharp eyes of owners Calvin Hollins and Dwayne Kyles. From an underground house music club called La Mirage and the stylish Heroes where Scottie Pippen was dissed by all the women, to the infamous Clique, to its current state as E2 Chicago, it's been a successful run. E2 promises to be the most successful of all, featuring a concert hall, fine dining room and state-of-the art trappings.

That was late 2000, so it may have changed.

One other magazine called it "E2 Chicago Upscale and pretentious for the frou-frou crowd."

Lots of drug and organized crime money being spent there.

[livius]

An earlier article mentioned that both Daley and a local alderman have been fighting this club for some time. Locals complained about the earlier incarnations of the club because of the drugs and crime it attracted. This most recent one has, as the article points out, been something the city has been trying to stop for almost a year.

But of course the owners didn't give a darn - the place was overcrowded, and the doors were locked so that people couldn't get in without paying. I hope the owners get criminal charges filed against them and lose every dime (no doubt illegally earned) they have.

[NativeNewYorker]

From a web page about the Wise Guy TV show: Link

The Last of the True Believers

Calvin Hollins kills a TV-talker in the toilet with his award.

Calvin Hollins kills one of his own men while taking black leader Thurman McGill in hostage.

Calvin Hollins accidentally shoots Thurman and dies in the following explosion.

[NativeNewYorker]

A Mr. T connection:

Link.

Mr. Tis ready for Round Two.

After a Chicago judge ruled Wednesday that he must pay $4.9 million to two men who say they invented his tough-guy act, Mr. T said: "It's just one round."

Calvin Hollins and John Bitoy claim they transformed nightclub bouncer Lawrence Tero into the flashy, mohawked "A-Team" entertainer. They also say Mr. T had agreed to pay them 20 percent of his gross earnings for life.

"I was the originator of Mr. T," Mr. Hollins said. "I created the image, from the gold to the hairdo. ... It's like an invention."

Mr. T's lawyer, John Goudge, said Mr. Hollins and Mr. Bitoy did nothing to earn any fees. Mr. T said they parted company in 1982 after he landed a role in "Rocky III."

The judgment in Cook County court equals 20 percent of almost $25 million in entertainment earnings Mr. T reported to the Internal Revenue Service from 1983 to 1994.

Mr. T wanted the case thrown out because he has severe depression, mainly due to a cancer diagnosis in November. Doctors say Mr. T has responded well to three months of radiation treatments and has an optimistic prognosis in his fight against lymphoma.

[NativeNewYorker]

ping posts 12 & 13

[cavtrooper21]

"Lots of drug and organized crime money...."
Prime feeding grounds for local Democratic officials and other pond scum. Like inspectors on the take, and off duty cops playing bouncer.
The truth here will be a hard commodity to come by, and then Jesse J. opens his mouth and I know somthing is rotten.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The sort of people who died in this incident die by the dozens every day, of drug overdoses and gang violence. The only thing remarkable about this incident is that a bunch of them died in one place at one time. The snowstorm will ultimately kill more people than this night club stampede (had already killed 20 at last report), and they will be primarily responsible law-abiding people. The heavy coverage of the storm will actually prevent some deaths, as it laced with very specific advice and warnings. We should have more storm coverage and less night club stampede coverage.

[JohnBovenmyer]

There were 1500 people up partying in this club at 2AM Sunday night. I wonder how many planned to get up to go to work Monday morning?