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Nightclub Owner Vows To Tighten Security After Shooting
By Catherine Galioto
After an ousted customer fired shots in the air outside the Mansion nightclub, the township council edged closer to a decision over whether or not to suspend the facility's liquor license.
In the hopes of providing safety upgrades at the Brick nightclub, the township council added conditions to the liquor license at a hearing earlier this week.
In September, Councilman Anthony Matthews criticized the facility after several police cars responded to a fight in the parking lot that officials described as a near-riot. Weeks later, Mansion security removed a patron from its club. The man later returned with a gun and shot into the air before police arrested him, officials said.
Council members have been left wondering what could be done, and questioning if the town even had the right to revoke the establishment's liquor license. According to Township Attorney Jean Cipriani, the answer is yes, although a hearing at the next meeting would be required.
That hearing was held earlier this week, with the council hearing the owner's side of how and why these events unfolded and what he has done to rectify the situation since.
The nightclub's owner, George Melassanos, and his lawyer, Tom Jannarone, explained that the club had since tightened the dress code, changed the format and ousted its management.
In addition, Melassanos agreed to be present at the nightclub during the evenings, instead of handing the keys over to a promoter or DJ for the night, he said.
Where a hip hop playlist was the most common music routinely heard throughout the club on a typical night, the Mansion will soon be playing more mainstream musical formats and other dance genres. Jannarone explained that the club recently canceled an upcoming hip hop show as a result of the change.
In addition, the owner agreed to beef up the club's security presence in the parking lot, where both of the incidents occurred. Improving crowd control and shifting around the security stations would also prevent patrons from leaving with alcohol.
Finally, security cameras outside the building may also be installed soon, and the Mansion would consider its front door as a spot for a uniformed police officer.
"We think it's an issue of respect, when they see the badge, the uniform," Jannarone said. "It's a deterrent."
Despite the incidents, Jannarone insists they were isolated. A large-scale fight was actually during an event that was a private fundraiser, and in the shooting incident, the patron left to find a gun, then returned, he said. The suspect did not bring a firearm into the club.
Now, the Mansion will scan the licenses of people entering the club, too, as a way to verify no one is using a suspended license or fake ID.
The council expressed hope that these steps would remove the "bad element" they said they often see congregating at the club.
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