'The neighborhood has been terrorized': Akron councilman fights liquor permit for former CW's

Akron Ward 5 Councilman Johnnie Hannah — backed by his fellow council members — has released an opening salvo in a push to keep the former home of CW Gentlemen's Club from becoming a problem again.

"The area that this particular bar is trying to open up has been plagued with violence and shootings," Hannah said at the meeting, referencing the shootings at the Sky Lounge. "The neighborhood has been terrorized by outsiders coming into these bars."

During the Feb. 12 Akron City Council meeting, Hannah introduced a resolution opposing the application of the owner of the building, William Congrove Jr., for liquor permits at CW's former site, 436 East South St. The resolution received unanimous support from council and the mayor's office.

Property tax records show that Congrove bought the building in 2021 from the previous owners, La Mack, LLC.

CW Gentlemen's Club had a fraught history. Police incident reports dating back three years detail calls for responses to fights, domestic disputes, assaults and noise complaints.

Hannah said he fears a return to "past practices" should Congrove open another bar there, citing Congrove's criminal record.

According to an incident report from Aug. 22, 2022, Congrove was arrested during an altercation at the CW Gentlemen's Club and charged with possessing a weapon while intoxicated and aggravated menacing. He was found guilty of the lesser charge of attempted possession of a weapon while intoxicated, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Congrove said he and Hannah have spoken.

"I'm trying to work it out with him," Congrove said. "We talked about what kind of agreements we can have, and I'll keep down whatever problems he thinks we're going to have there. Unlike the other bars that he compared me to, there's never been no shootings, or no murders, or no assault charges or anything ever out on the property, ever. The only thing that's ever been out of there is some noise complaint calls for drunk people, probably like any bar would have."

Past neighborhood problems

Hannah, who lives in the area and operates a business there — Mollie's Sweet Treats N' Things — said CW's wasn't the only bar on the block that has caused problems.

In 2021, the owner of a building at the intersection of East South Street and Clay Drive kicked out the operators of Sky Lounge and changed the locks after he said they kept running a bar without his permission.

That year, Akron police were called out to Sky Lounge more than 30 times, including five times for gunfire.

The bar also racked up five administrative citations from state liquor agents.

"There was hell around here, man," Hannah said. "You couldn't imagine."

Hannah shared stories about the bar's patrons parking on the sidewalks and in yards and going to the bathroom outside, the chaos driving some residents out of the neighborhood.

When the Sky Lounge was shut down, Hannah said he got his first good night's sleep in four years.

Recently, a gaming parlor called TNT opened in the location.

'More than one way to skin a cat'

At the Feb. 12 meeting, At-Large Councilwoman Linda Omobien pointed out that Akron has little authority over which bars are given liquor licenses and which are denied.

"And that's why we go to the state, and they rarely listen to us, but we send these kinds of things anyway," Omobien said.

At-Large Councilman Jeff Fusco said that while Akron is rarely successful in making sure that licenses aren't granted to troublesome establishments, it does happen — but you have to be creative.

"I'm more than happy to sit down with you, or any of the other ward council members who may not be aware of different ways that you can approach this because there is more than one way to skin a cat, as they say," said Fusco.

Mayor Shammas Malik said that there are a plethora of tools to use, and that city Prosecutor Craig Morgan often gets involved in issues like this — especially when council brings it forward. Malik said he'd keep council updated about the situation.

The recently adopted city operating budget includes a $100,000 line item for police overtime to deal with vice issues.

Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer applauded Hannah bringing the matter forward, saying that he's lodged numerous formal objections to bad bars and businesses receiving liquor licenses in neighborhoods, and has been successful in one instance.

Hannah said that City Council's formal objection is the first step in the process. Next is an appeals hearing that has yet to be scheduled.

"It's in the prosecutor's hands right now," he said. "We're waiting to see what the next step is." Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron councilman opposes liquor permits for old CW's Gentleman's Club