Committee passes ordinance aimed at giving Louisville more control over liquor licenses after a violent incident

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The city of Louisville is cracking down on problematic businesses by targeting liquor licenses.

Wednesday, Metro Council's Public Safety Committee unanimously passed an ordinance that would give Alcohol Beverage Control the authority to suspend a liquor license immediately after a shooting at a business.

This past weekend's shooting inside Cafe 360 on Bardstown Road added a sense of urgency.

"This is fresh on everybody's minds," ABC Director Brad Silveria said. "When there's a shooting at a place that sells alcohol indoors, my intention is to have a cooling off period so we can investigate what's happening."

Silveria said this type of ordinance has been a target since the deadly shooting outside of downtown's Southern Restaurant and Lounge, which happened on the bar's final night last August.

Under this new ordinance, a business owner where a violent act happened would get an ABC hearing within three business days.

"We can pull surveillance videos," Silveria said. "We can check witnesses and we can make sure by opening back up tomorrow, that there's not some form of retribution."

Silveria said they've involved neighborhood associations and local restaurant and bar owners in the discussions. One of the owners involved was Matt Mercurio, who owns Mercurio's Music & RestoBar in Hikes Point. He's also the president of the Musicians' Emergency Resource Foundation.

"I'm all about trying to make it as safe as possible," Mercurio said. "If you're in my place enjoying music having a good time, whatever, it's my responsibility to make sure I have a safe place."

He's much more supportive of this measure targeting violence at alcohol-related businesses rather than the ABC's crackdown on the noise ordinance. He said that has impacted musicians and bartenders.

But he does have a concern about the quick hook of a liquor license because if it turns out a business is not at fault, that still could mean thousands of dollars in losses.

"There's going to be so much gray area that it's going to be extremely hard to define who is the cause of that problem," Mercurio said.

There is room for discretion, but Councilman Rick Blackwell, D-District 12, said the intent is to look at threats to public safety and protect customers.

"The administration’s not looking for a way to shut bars or the entertainment industry," Blackwell said. "But those folks need to be able to go places and feel safe."

The ordinance would only apply to Metro ABC, and not cities within Jefferson County who have their own agency.

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