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City council zeros in on Eleven Bar once more

Brent Trout, once again in the face of a small business owner he disagrees with.
Brent Trout, once again in the face of a small business owner he disagrees with.

MASON CITY – The hits keep coming for Eleven Bar and owner George Barlas, as the city blames him and his business for every issue in or near his establishment and looks to deny him a liquor license.

Citing altercations and incidents they claim took place in the bar, outside the bar, or near the bar by alleged patrons that violate the city’s “nuisance code”, city administrator Brent Trout has deemed Eleven Bar a “disorderly premises” and again is recommending the city council deny a liquor license, which would likely crush the bar and the adjoining Chop restaurant. He claims 19 calls for service within the last 12 months.

Mr. Barlas – who started his business with no handouts from the city, no micro-enterprise freebies and didn’t beg the taxpayers for a nickel to open his doors – claims police officers converge on his business on weekends and park outside, watching his customers enter and leave, until they see trouble. A sizable proportion of the clientele are African American, and the music is loud, but that’s never been cited as an issue. He said police do enter the bar somewhat frequently. They have found some wanted individuals on some excursions and made arrests then and at other times when they see issues arise.

Trout’s announcement of this council agenda item comes on the heels of a scathing article in the Sunday Globe Gazette, written by council propaganda artist John Skipper with an accompanying video interview of Mr. Barlas created by competing bar owner and Globe employee Arian Schuessler.  Mr. Barlas said the story was like a “punch to the gut” and the headline was like a slap in the face to him.  He had just been under the gun at the last council meeting when this item was on the agenda, but it was pulled when the mayor and council cowed to public pressure and put it off two weeks.

Chop and Eleven in downtown Mason City
Chop and Eleven in downtown Mason City

Meanwhile, some citizens are concerned that while a number of police cars – sometimes 2- 4 cars – are parked in one general vicinity (the public lot across the street and on Delaware Avenue), crime runs rampant throughout the sprawling areas of Mason City and folks are being cheated by fewer patrols, less visibility of officers, and crooks have a greater chance of getting away with their crimes.

One Mason City citizen said “My car was broken into, and my son’s bike was stolen on two separate occasions and locations last week. The crooks will steal anything not bolted-down. I just wish my taxes covered the ‘serve and protect’ part for me and my neighbors, too, not just folks city hall seems to be out to get.”

At the same time, landlords are beginning to examine the nuisance code, and one prominent property owner told NIT last week that the nuisance code would “never hold up in court”.   He also said that Mason City doesn’t need the nuisance law, it needs more cops on the streets conducting patrols and being visible.

The council will look at the issue Tuesday night at its regular meeting.

City council to once again zero in on Eleven Bar at next week's council meeting; Brent Trout advises council to deny…

Posted by NorthIowaToday.com on Friday, July 24, 2015

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