'Big mistakes': City Council rejects liquor license for Peoria business in heated meeting

Doors were literally and figuratively slammed Tuesday night as the Peoria City Council debated the merits of a liquor license application.

Empire Lounge , located on Sterling Avenue in Peoria, was rejected for a liquor license by the City Council in a tight 5-3 vote. Those opposed to the site's liquor license cited a lack of trust and transparency between the business owner and the city.

While councilmember Denise Jackson laid out her opposition to Empire Lounge's request, the manager for the establishment stormed out of council chambers, slamming a door behind him. That action drew the ire of Peoria Mayor Rita Ali.

"If that is reflective of the type of behavior that we could expect from a manager at Empire Lounge, I have serious concerns about the operations," Ali said.

The mayor, however, still supported the liquor license application for Empire Lounge. She said it was a beautiful space, adding she'd like to see the business prove itself. But Ali said the establishment made "big mistakes," and she "wouldn't hesitate" to revoke the liquor license if it was granted and more infractions took place.

Resident: Trust has been 'broken and cannot be repaired'

Empire Lounge entered Tuesday night with a shaky track record of compliance with city rules, accused of serving alcohol at an event on Jan. 6 without having a liquor license.

John Sims, who has identified himself as co-owner of Empire Lounge, said he owed the council an apology that the incident had ever happened. He said his business and the city "started off wrong" and he hoped to rectify the relationship.

Sims' overtures, however, did not resonate with all of City Council or members of nearby neighborhood associations.

Bill O'Brien, a member of the Forrest Hill Homeowners Association, told the council that the trust between Sims and the neighborhood had been "broken and cannot be repaired" following Sims' meetings with the neighborhood members. Sims had previously told the Peoria liquor commission he did not serve alcohol without a liquor license on Jan. 6.

Jackson, who represents the district that is home to Empire Lounge, centered her opposition to the license almost entirely on a lack of trust.

"Everything from trust, or a lack thereof, kept coming up," Jackson said. "People even tried to inject race into the picture and I have to say that Mr. Sims acknowledged tonight that was not a problem. But one thing I think that has to be apparent beyond race, there has to be certain qualities inherent when you're talking about operating a business in a community, especially a neighborhood association. Those qualities that are so inherent, they must be solid."

Jackson also said there had been a lack of transparency and consistency from Empire Lounge while it sought approval for its liquor license. She left open the door for Empire Lounge to come back to the council for a liquor license if it could first repair its relationship with the neighborhoods.

"You (O'Brien) made the comment that the trust has been violated and could never be accepted, well, I don't think that should ever be the case when we're talking about human beings and we're talking about communities," Jackson said.

Filling a 'void' in Peoria's business community

Councilmembers who supported the liquor license said the business should be given a chance to prove it can operate in good faith.

Councilmember Bernice Gordon-Young moved to approve the liquor license and said she did not want to see a resident "given life sentences for not having expertise."

"One of the challenges in this particular situation is that I believe Mr. Sims — yes I agree you have made some mistakes in this process — but I think part of the challenge is the manner in which you represent yourself," Gordon-Young said. "You did not represent yourself from your heart and all the investment you have put into this business and the financial loss you have endured. I think it is important we realize that and recognize that and allow some level of grace."

Gordon-Young also said if the business did mess up, action could be taken, but not giving the business an opportunity was the wrong move.

Councilmember Andre Allen said Empire Lounge could "fill a void" in the Peoria business community. He said the decision has kept him up at night. He believed the relationships between Empire Lounge and the neighborhood could be repaired.

"When I reflect on a void I believe Empire Lounge is going to fill, when I have friends come to town and they ask me about places to go, I'll be honest I struggle telling them places to go in the city of Peoria," Allen said. "Shoutout to the Heights, but as someone who represents the city of Peoria, I don't like telling people to go to the Heights, just being honest. So, I want this for our city, I want this for our culture, I want us to have great places where people want to go and have fun and respect the neighborhoods."

Allen said Empire Lounge's plan of operation, which would see it close at 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends, "alleviates the opportunity for the late-night trouble."

What happened previously with Empire Lounge?

In June, Empire Lounge went before the Peoria Liquor Commission for a third time .

Two previous attempts to obtain a liquor license were unsuccessful after the business encountered community concerns . While about a half dozen supporters turned out to the June meeting, new concerns were raised by city staff.

The main issue related to a small, private party hosted at the establishment on Jan. 6. The gathering occurred before the space received its certificate of occupancy – which is needed before the public is allowed inside.

An intense disagreement arose after liquor investigator Rick Linthicum told commissioners open alcohol was found at the establishment in January. Sims fervently denied having alcohol at the business.

“I don't know where all this liquor talk is coming from,” Sims told commissioners in June. He called any claim that the business sold alcohol “an outright lie.”

Commissioners focused on the certificate of occupancy violation when they voted 3-0 to recommend denial.

What do police reports, body camera footage show?

The Journal Star obtained two police reports and body camera footage related to the January incident.

Both reports said beer, wine and hard liquor were found open at the establishment’s bar area. In body camera footage, officers walk past the bar while entering and exiting the building but only pause by it for a few seconds.

Various bottles are visible at the bar. During the liquor commission meeting in June, owner Brandon Sims told commissioners he believed nonalcoholic mocktails were served.

Linthicum, however, said the police department interacted with John Sims, rather than his son, during previous incidents. Linthicum said John Sims and Michael Miller – who said the January party was for his mother – “acknowledged the fact that the liquor was there on the bar in plain sight and also on body camera.”

Some of the footage which the Journal Star received was muted and the two individuals speaking to officers were blurred out. Much of the available conversation centered around the space hosting guests without a certificate of occupancy.

A police report said the individual police spoke with "was not belligerent but did not seem to understand that he could not have anyone inside." The name was redacted, but Linthicum identified John Sims as the person the police department interacted with.

In body camera footage, Linthicum noted the violations would only “cause a bigger bump in the road moving forward.” He also mentioned previous community concerns about the business.

“I wanted you to prove people wrong,” Linthicum said. “That you were going to do the right thing, run a good business, run a place that would be respected in the community – I wanted you to be able to do that because that was your word.”

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 'Big mistakes': City Council rejects liquor license for Peoria business in heated meeting