Patrons Defend Rock Bar & Grill at Public Hearing on Liquor License Revocation

Patrons of downtown Plymouth's Rock Bar & Grill spoke passionately Monday in support of the embattled bar and its management. 

The Plymouth City Commission held a public hearing Monday on recommending revocation of the bar's liquor license after a litany of alcohol-related ordinance violations. City commissioners did not come to a decision Monday, however, preferring to wait until the bar's lawyer can speak on the business' behalf at a second hearing on Jan. 7. 

Chelsea Cunningham, who told the City Commission she and her husband are regular patrons at the Rock Bar & Grill, said the bar upholds a professional and safe atmosphere.

"They have called a cab for us many times," she said. "They make sure we get home safe."

Other patrons noted that bar employees have personally offered rides home to patrons in danger of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, or have at least offered to pay for a taxi.

The public comments, however, were not all complimentary.

Janet Adkins, who lives across from the bar in a condominium on the 800 block of Penniman Avenue, told commissioners the bar and its patrons have been the source of loud noises and safety concerns.

"During the summertime I can sit on my balcony and watch the intoxicated people walk out of that bar, stumble to cars and stumble to the parking structure," Adkins said. 

City could recommend revoking business' liquor license

City Manager Paul Sincock stated in a memo included in Monday's City Commission meeting packet that the city could recommend the state revoke the business' liquor license after its next hearing on Jan. 7.

"Recommending revocation to the State of Michigan Liquor Control Commission is a viable option that the city has in its (Liquor Management) Ordinance," Sincock stated.

However, he said, most businesses attempt to bring their operations "back into line with community standards" when faced with revocation of a liquor license.

Business has history of alcohol-related violations

Among the incidents and liquor-related violations highlighted in the meeting packet:

• A 2009 arrest of a bar employee on charges of operating while intoxicated after consuming drinks at the Rock Bar & Grill and registering a .179 blood-alcohol content — more than twice the legal limit of .08. 
• A 2010 arrest of a bar patron registering a .30 BAC — nearly four times the legal limit. 
• A 2011 arrest of a bar patron who registered a BAC of .22—nearly three times the legal limit—after her vehicle crashed into a light pole.
• Police finding a man passed out in front of an adjacent funeral home and deemed by police to be "extremely intoxicated." The man refused a test for BAC. 
• A Jan. 7 arrest of a man who had reportedly blacked out from drinking before entering the Rock Bar & Grill, was then served additional drinks before exiting the bar and assaulting a woman on Penniman Avenue. The man registered a BAC of .253.
• A March 10 report of fighting at the bar where a man who had become aggressive with responding police officers registered a .144 BAC.
• A July 27 citation for serving beer on an outdoor patio of the business at 4 a.m. — two hours past the 2 a.m. curfew for serving alcoholic beverages. 
• A Sept. 2 arrest of a bar patron who had crashed into a business on South Harvey, registering a .15 BAC.
• An Oct. 7 report of three men assaulting the manager of the Rock Bar & Grill in an adjacent lot after reportedly drinking at the business. 
• A Dec. 2 arrest of two men accused of leaving the bar, each with an open alcoholic beverage container. The men reportedy registered BACs of .253 and .214.
•  A Dec. 6 report of a woman lying in the roadway on Penniman Avenue whose male accomplice told police the two were drinking at the Rock Bar & Grill before the woman collapsed while trying to enter the man's vehicle. Police registered a .313 BAC from the woman and a .226 from the man. 

Additionally, the meeting packet indicates, the business has repeatedly violated the city's sign ordinance—ever after notices were issued seeking corrective action—and has had numerous citations for noise violations.