Residents voiced their concerns to the owner of Pompeii Lounge and Bar in a raucous meeting of Community Board 10’s Municipal Services Committee on Monday, May 4.
Over 50 people packed CB 10’s district office to discuss a recent shooting down the street from Pompeii, allegedly involving Marc Outram, believed to be a Pompeii patron, and an off-duty police officer. Many said that the shooting is just another example of the unacceptable behavior, including frequent fights and sexual intercourse in cars parked on side streets, that can be traced to the club, at 3133 E. Tremont Avenue.
Councilman James Vacca grilled the owner of the nightclub, Jose Torres, about recent violations by the Department of Buildings for allowing dancing without a cabaret license. Vacca also was angered that a lighting problem at the club hampered a Fire Department inspection at 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 1.
“The word is incredulous for what I heard at the meeting,” Vacca said. “We are being told that the lights just happened to go out when the FDNY came to Pompeii for an inspection. Much of the explanations offered stretch the imagination. We are going to get city and state agencies to visit Pompeii to make sure that every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ crossed.”
Vacca said that the FDNY violated Pompeii for not having their public assembly permit on the premises of the club when the inspection took place, as well as for exceeding the amount of people allowed by the permit because 200 people were found in the club, when only 190 are allowed by law.
Torres said at the meeting that he has plans to put in place a number of new measures at the club in the wake of the shooting, which took place in front of 3165 E. Tremont Avenue on Saturday, April 10.
These include raising the required age to enter the club from 21 to 25, using an ID scanner that records information from divers licenses used by patrons to prove their age, the addition of two more bouncers, and he’s considering a patrol on the side streets around the club to make sure those leaving the club do so in an orderly manner and do not disturb the surrounding community.
“I think that the major concern is the element that this club is bringing into the community,” said Coddington Avenue resident Derek Lively. “There are fights. Residents are finding things like bloody t-shirts and beer cans in the street. Everyone here really takes care of their properties. There must be a greater sense of accountability on the part of Pompeii’s management.”
