Police trying to stop takeover of troubled Seattle club
SEATTLE -- In 2012, the co-owner of Club El Reventon in Georgetown sold his share of the club to his partner for only $1 weeks before the club was declared a chronic public nuisance for ongoing brawls, gang conflicts and sexual assaults and then sued by its landlord for nearly $19,000 in unpaid rent, taxes and utilities, according to the Seattle Police Department.
That same co-owner moved on to own and manage Citrus in South Lake Union, which was just itself declared a chronic public nuisance for ongoing brawls and shootings and a lack of cooperation with police.
Now, Daniel Yarbrough is attempting to take over ownership of the University District's Fusion Ultra Lounge, where he has also spent time as a manager, a tenure the Seattle Police Department states has been plagued with the same problems as Club El Reventon and Citrus before it.
In response, the Seattle Police Department has sent two letters to the Washington State Liquor Control Board asking the Board not to grant a new liquor license to Yarbrough.
“Yarbrough’s current management of Fusion and tumultuous history in nightclub ownership raises significant concerns for the City of Seattle,” Assistant Chief Michael Sanford writes in a March 4 letter. "As such, the City of Seattle does not believe that Yarbrough is fit to possess, hold, control o manage a liquor license.”
According to police, officers have been called to Fusion, located at Northeast 45th Street and Eighth Avenue Northeast more than 30 times in the past year for events ranging from traffic-stopping, 50-person brawls, to shooting, to security staff pulling a gun on a drunk patron.
In a Feb. 28 letter to the Liquor Control Board, Community Police Team Officer Loren Street writes things at Fusion are so bad two officers usually spend most of the Friday and Saturday night shift outside the club. And, backup officers are still often called to deal with unruly crowds, Street writes.
Sanford agrees in his letter to the Board.
“Due to its high call volume and potential for danger, Seattle Police has mandated that four officers and a sergeant monitor Fusion every Friday and Saturday night," he writes. "Additionally, all patrol officers have been instructed to supplement police efforts at closing time. Despite this, issues at the club persist.”
In addition to being a drain on police resources, one of the biggest concerns laid out in the letters from Sanford and Street is the seeming lack of desire from Yarbrough and his staff to work with police and the community to fix the problems.
According to Sanford's letter, before being granted a liquor license for Club El Reventon Yarbrough told the Liquor Control Board his goal was to provide a safe, controllable business and would be open to input from the community. Less than a year later, the club was declared a chronic public nuisance.
Street tells the Board he has established a good report with owners and staff at businesses throughout the University District during his time with the Community Police Team. The exception is Yarbrough and Fusion Ultra Lounge.
In his letter, Street writes Fusion's owners, manager and staff all have a clear disinterest in forming a relationship with police despite meetings and frequent 911 calls.
"This attitude, coupled with an increase in violence and lack of cooperation with police, has made Fusion a dangerous venue," Street writes.
Sanford points to two incidents to illustrate that point.
According to his letter, instead of waiting to speak with police following a report of shots fired outside the club, Fusion staff closed up and left before officers could talk to them. In addition, security staff was unable to provide details to police following a 30-person brawl inside the club, Sanford writes in his letter.
In his application for a new liquor license, Yarbrough plans to change Fusion's name to Library Sports Grill. Despite the name change, police believe it will continue on as a night club.
“There is little proof that Library Sports Grill will be different from Fusion in anyway but name," Sanford writes to the Board.
Street closes his letter stating his belief that if Yarbrough is allowed to take over ownership of Fusion, the situation at the club will only worsen.
The Liquor Control Board is currently reviewing the city's objections to Yarbrough's application.
Regardless, it's possible Fusion Ultra Lounge could soon join Citrus and Club El Reventon in Yarbrough's history of chronic public nuisances, according to police.
Let me guess, .......a hip-hop dump that attracts violent, liberal constituency groups. Predictable.
Bring back the Sandpiper...
Wow, sounds like dinner and a show. Head down to Dicks for some burgers and camp out across the street from loser central for some after dinner entertainment.
The community problems from Fusion are getting worse almost everytime I drive on 45th ST every Friday. I even see an American Medical Response ambulance and sometimes the State Patrol just hanging out across the street! And Saturday mornings the parking lot is littered including all the adjacent roads.Â
And sadly, I don't think there are cops to handle that rowdy crowd. The patrons hang out in the middle of the street then when cops need to deal with somebody, the patrons surround the cops and start escalating the situation. Hell, I know because I've sat on 45th blocked with cabs and idiots. Now, when I get off work, I just hop into 520 to I-5 up north.
And sadly at the other job I moonlight, I work right across from Citrus...
"Street tells the Board he has established a good report with owners and staff at businesses..."
Rapport. The word is "rapport".
I would have emailed the writer directly, but his contact info is not listed.
@platkat LOL, I was trying figure out what kind of good report he was talking about! LOL, I didnt even think he was trying to say "rapport"! Thanks, that sentence makes sense now!
I donât suppose they ever heard of due process.An assistant Chief sending a letter which if acted upon by the SLCB, would deny this business owner his right is nothing but a heavy handed abuse of power.I understand the concern which is being expressed from one side only, but this is not the right way to address it.
@oldster70:   To have a liquor license is NOT Right!  It is a privilege earned when all conditions are met, not before.  And those conditions must be maintained! Citizen#3457899654 is correct.  We the people have the right to expect our government institutions to look out for our best interests.  In this case a troubled lounge.  You are correct that there is a form of due process. The WSLCB is reviewing complaints about the Fusion lounge and Mr. Yarborough has every right to respond to or refute the criticisms.  To date Mr. Yarborough has done neither.
@oldster70Â And business owners' abuse of people's neighborhoods in the pursuit of prifit is not an abuse?
History repeats itself. It looks like he is applying his real estate flipping strategies to the local clubs. See a club at the brink of collapse? Snap it up, run it into the ground, invest a minimum of effort and money. Pocket the profits.
 He's been doing this expertly for years.
http://whitecenternow.com/2011/06/26/white-centers-former-club-evo-new-partnership-business-model/
Place looks like trouble just sitting there...
The police have no business interfering with a private business transaction. Â Every porn outfit in town is a public nuisance. Â If the club had no demand it would disappear on its own. Â The fact it does drive demand shows the despicable decline of society, as some have already described, where life and liberty are of no worth, family and responsibility are foreign concepts. Â You cannot teach a generation of school children that their lives are random, marriage and family are primitive, restrictive ideas, and any bad that they do is because they are victims of their circumstances, and expect society to continue on a peaceful course. Â Society will reap what it sows.
@Obewise Is this like a come to Christ post or something?Â
@Obewise Porn outfits do not supply booze to their customers and have 50 person brawls outside their clubs. When is the last time you heard of a huge brawl at Deja Vu? They do not serve alcohol at strip clubs therefor do not have the problems this guys club do. When you have huge brawls you need a huge police response to control those people............which in turn means officers have to leave others to babysit these clubs therefore making response time to those other neighborhoods that much slower.
I use to be a club goer in the early 90's and 2000's from Everette to Seattle. The Hollywood Underground, Celebrities, Belltown Cafe, Vogue, Sharky's, Pier 70, Pioneer Square, etc, were incredible places to be on weekends. I remember taking breaks to walk outside to cool off because of sweating from dancing and having fun in the clubs. Than hanging out in parking lots with friends until 4:am, still partying, after the clubs closed. I also witness the changes in the people starting to come to clubs, mostly the younger generation that turned 21 around 2001 is when the violence, fighting, shootings, and killings began. Randomly shooting up a club or stabbing to death someone in the parking lot was unheard before, now it's a common occurrence. And this is why there is no more night life in Seattle. What a shame.
Taxpayers should not be required to pay for his ongoing mis-management while he keeps the profits.Â
why cant Yarbrough be declared a public nuiscence ?
I think it is unfortunate that Yarbrough is being picked out of the masses and that the police are trying to influence the liquor control board's decision on whether or not this guy can own and operate a business. To me, that's just wrong!
On the flip side of that, what kind of "feel" or "vibe" is he promoting?! Gansta rap along with yo yoyo I'm a yoyo pimp gonna slap a hoe is not benifical to his business or that of the surrounding businesses.
I think that if he wants less drama he might wanna change the clientle he is dealing with and playing too, not to the hip "buffy where's my rolex crowd" or the "lets eat some granola and bike down to the cafe" crowd so much, but true blue collared working class folks that want good eats and some fun threat free entertainment
Just my 2 cents..
@Handsup70 He's not being picked out of the masses. He has a documented history following him that makes him stand out like a t-rex in a sheep paddy. This is exactly what SPD SHOULD be doing with geniuses like this.
I get your point but until laws are broken or any other kind of illegal activities are committed or reported I don't feel anybody should be able to infringe on a person's right to own and operate a business. To me that is just wrong!
I personally would not visit an establishment like this because of the atmostphere and crowd that I think he is attracting. However, as the article states it's a nuiscence to the police more than anything and last time I checked that isn't a crime.
If I don't like someone or something I just don't go there. It's not worth my time or effort to do so.
But, if the surrounding businesses are being broken into etc. etc. then yeah! I agree completly that he should have his license revoked or denied.
The people who go to these places have "Zero" respect for the law, and 50 alcoholic fueled brawlers (possibly with weapons) are no match for 4 cops, shut these miserable excuses for entertainment down.
@Handsup70: Â "I don't feel anybody should be able to infringe on a person's right to own and operate a business."
A couple of points you seem not to understand.  Having a liquor license is NOT a right.  It is a privilege earned after meeting all requirements, not before!  No one is stopping Mr. Yarborough from buying Fusion and running it, they are just saying he can't sell booze there.
"... until laws are broken or any other kind of illegal activities are committed or reported ..."  Laws have been broken and illegal activities have been reported all to SPD.  That is why they have 4 cops on standby in the immediate vicinity.  It's all on record.  There are other "bad behaviors" other than breaking into or vandalizing neighboring properties.
@Handsup70 "I don't feel anybody should be able to infringe on a person's right to own and operate a business."
If the majority in a neighborhood/town agree that the place is a public nuisance due to management, they do. They aren't infringing on his rights to own a business. The people determined it is a public nuisance, and the Police must do what they are legally allowed to do in order to rid the neighborhood/town of the public nuisance. The Police work for the people. This is what the people asked for.
@Handsup70Wrong, it's a nuisance to all of us when the police are tied up going to Yarborough's establishments repeatedly responding to calls about gang violence and other issues.Â
Why are the police showing up at Yarborough's joints? Because crimes are being committed.
Stop this clown before he strikes again.Â
this much attention from police, the dude must have earned it
in dudes' defense, who WOULD be interested in forming a partnership with SPD?
@SwampThing A lot of people...see how much $$ they've been throwing out in lawsuit settlements?
Every town has a bar or two that attracts the more rowdy patron that may have less respect for the law. It might be a management decision in not providing the same atmosphere as the more popular and trendy places people go to be able to brag about their wonderful coding/PM job is or how great their bowl movements are since they changed their diets or just the exciting feeling they get driving their all electric vehicle or maybe the thrills these people get when they zip line over and through the forests. Maybe in Yarbrough not catering to the constant head up your but patron that most Seattle bars try to attract since they seem to have plenty of places to spend their money already at, Yarbrough is providing a place for these people that do physical work for a living, that would rather eat what makes them feel good going down versus going out or consider time in nature to be more than a zip line or hiking in the most expensive garments and gear money can buy just to be able to brag about it the next night in the bar, a place for like people to hang out and have a good time without upsetting the trendy people. Yarbrough may not be doing what Seattle police wants him to do but I am sure if they had a real reason other than Yarbrough does not like to comply with the police, the Seattle police would have his place or places closed down in a heartbeat. The problem seems more that the Seattle police don't like Yarbrough and they are trying to abuse the system to shut him down. The liquor board would pull his license if under age drinking is happening which apparently is not, they would pull his license if drugs were being dealt, again, nothing said about this. All Yarbrough is guilty of is attracting a patron that would rather hang out with people of their own mindset, maybe more rowdy then the typical Seattle patron, but none the less a paying patron wanting to enjoy their night out. Maybe the police should be happy that the rowdy set is all gathered in one place instead of spread out among all the Seattle trendy places insulting the trendy patrons about their lifestyle choices.
@Beam_Me_Up So, to you, shootings  and a 50 person brawl outside the bar on a regular basis, isn't a problem?
"I am sure if they had a real reason other than Yarbrough does not like to comply with the police, the Seattle police would have his place or places closed down in a heartbeat."
...Uh, two have already been shut down. How many times should we let that happen ? Shootings, mass-brawls, these things are more than a public nuisance- there a danger to the public and to deny that is ignorant.Â
I'm no huge fan of the SPD, but really- you think they're picking on him because it's not a trendy nightclub? You can't be serious ?Â
@Beam_Me_Up You are studying (or majored in) sociology in college, aren't you This club already is a lousy neighbor in the area.Â
@Citizen#3457899654 @Beam_Me_Up Sorry, my college days are very much in the past. My learnings are more real world seeing a few countries in the US military and as a contractor. I know that as much as a town or city likes to considering themselves mature (in their own eyes) you still have to provide for the people that don't measure themselves against the trend. As I said, if Yarbrough was breaking any laws significant to shut down his places they would be shutdown. I think he is just suffering because he does not go with the trend. I would rather have a gathering place for the not so trendy then have the not so trendy visit places that would cause even more problems.
I can tell you have obviously never been to Citrus or Fusion.
Ding ding ding! There's your problem right there! It isn't necessarily the gangs or the neighbors. His name is Yarbrough and he is bringing the trouble with him wherever he goes.
Sounds like Yarbrough knows how to work the system and is one step ahead of the Liguor Control Board and two steps ahead of the police..
@Windowseat Hence the regular incidents that make it a public nuisance.
Guess there must be good money in getting thugs drunk and belligerent!...I am surprised (not really) that this guy could even manage to get a liquor license at any business he has association with. Ridiculous that the police actually have to file complaints before the liquor control board notice a pattern of issues.