ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A defiant nightclub in St. Louis, blamed for downtown violence, is back in the crosshairs of local officials after throwing an unlawful event on Friday.
Neighbor Les Sterman says Reign nightclub at 1122 Washington Avenue on advertised the party on social media, and ushered patrons in through the back door, something he hadn't seen before. Online flyers stated the party, "Reign Boyz are Free. Case Closed" would begin at 8 p.m. Friday.
Police were called in and shutdown the event about an hour after it began. It happened just days after the establishment was ordered to close its doors for a full year.
"Obviously, those of us who surround this venue want to see it close," Sterman says. "And I think the city is doing everything within their power now to close it."
He says the gun violence outside the club has continued as he says he heard gun shots outside "just the other night."
Public Safety Director Dan Isom plans a weekly briefing on Monday about the problem nightclub.
Sterman wants to see a strategy expanded beyond Reign, with other liquor license holders hauled into hearings.
"This is really the story of just one venue, it really needs to be an overall policy in regards to these kinds of clubs operating in downtown," Sterman says.
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