Last night, we told you about 20 year-old Asher Saunders who was murdered at Pier 1 Bar and Grill on Friday night.
Best reports say that his murder resulted from a confrontation between two rival gangs. Police officers provide security at Pier 1, but, that still did not prevent a gunman from shooting Saunders in the head, in the middle of the club. It sent club patrons and BTL park-goers scrambling in a wave of panic.
This incident has brought public heat on the management of Pier 1 with many in the public demanding that action be taken against the Club for the sake of public safety.
Of course, that's because the night club adjoins BTL Park, and critics say its presence in this public space is making the park unsafe for families and children.
The calls for action have reached the Belize City Council, and today, Mayor Bernard Wagner called press conference to address it directly. He said something has to give:
Bernard Wagner - Mayor, Belize City Council
"The seeds for the events of last week Friday were sown in 2014 when the UDP City Council came into a lease agreement with a business entity to establish a bar/night club smack in the middle of one of the open spaces that is enjoyed by many families, many children, many women across the City. It was an ill-advised move, from my view, from the beginning."
"That in itself is a situation is untenable. We have our attorneys looking at the matter. We will utilize all of the resources that we have at the Council. We control both trade license board the liquor licensing Board, and so, we'll look at that situation. It's untenable, but something has to give."
"We came in on a platform of being business friendly. We came in without prejudice; we insisted that we didn't want to prejudice any of our business owners in the community. But we gave the principals of that that business entity enough time to shore up security, to sure up that the patrons that visit that facility does so in a safe manner. But, they have not really complied."
"The key thing here is that it's close to the park, and we can't, as a responsible City Council, continue to have our residents, our women and our children feel unsafe in a park that was built with the understanding that it would be used for recreational purposes."
"The people and the residents of this city want us to act, and we will act. And so, in the days ahead, we'll be meeting with our attorneys to see the way forward. But clearly, something has to give."
Daniel Ortiz, reporter
"Sir, so is this a sort of an announcement that if the council would have its way, and there are no legal consequences, that you would want to take action against Pier 1 and shut it down?"
Bernard Wagner
"We would want to look at the model. Obviously, if the principals of the entity re-adjust the model, then we would be willing to look at it. It's a 10 year contract, a 10 year lease. So, we are mindful of the legal implications. But, we have our attorneys looking on that end."
"If the principals of that entity could assure us that the model will undergo some changes, we are willing to look at it. But, we are clear and hell-bent that it will not serve as a bar, not serve as a night club. It's in too close a proximity to the park."
One of the implications that the Council has to carefully consider if they move to close Pier 1 by pushing for the cancellation their liquor licenses, or their trade licenses, is that the owners could sue them. The mayor says that the past council signed a lease agreement with the friendly UDP Pier 1 owners which has a term from 2014 to 2022. He adds that in 2016, the documents were amended to extend the lease agreement by 10 years. He believes that if the new lease takes priority, then it would mean that the arrangement between City Hall and the Pier 1 management will continue up until 2026.
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