LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Following a party inside a venue at St. Matthews Station that was broken up by Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control, the owner of the business questioned the city's enforcement.
Video of the party in the 3900 block of Shelbyville Road shows hundreds of people lined up to get inside. Detectives said they observed alcohol consumption and detected the smell of marijuana coming from the party at St. Matthews Station.
ABC said organizers didn't have the proper permits for what the agency called a "pop-up" party.
"The party was not a pop-up," said Marcus Billups, who leases the venue. "It was been promoted for months."
Billups rented the space out to a group called Crowd Control, which shared the event location on social media. That promotion was done through a poster that advertised the event, though WDRB News couldn't verify when and where that poster circulated.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg has touted Metro ABC's enforcement under his administration. On Tuesday, Greenberg addressed the response in St. Matthews.
"They were not licensed to have the type of event that they were having," he said. "That's the reason for why the party was broken up."
Billups believes the enforcement was unfair. Aside from arguing the event was not a "pop-up," he said the ABC's estimate of 500-600 people isn't accurate. He said he never observed anyone drinking or smoking.
And Billups wasn't cited for any violations.
"I feel like because majority of it was minorities, they had an issue with it and they tried to associate what they were doing with the kids on Bardstown Road and everything of that nature," he said Tuesday. "And they wasn't even remotely doing anything like that."
Billups is facing other concerns, too. He signed a contract June 1 to take over the lease for the venue space in St. Matthews Station. That contract was between his business "Defboyproductions LLC" and Breeland Development, which manages the property, to operate as a dance studio.
Billups said his property manager informed him this week he violated that lease and must vacate the property by Friday.
"The landlord was well aware of the type of events we were having, the dance parties we were going to have (and) the concerts we were going to have," Billups said.
Billups is pursuing legal action against Breeland. Representatives for the developer didn't reply to a request for comment.
Hundreds of people gathered for a pop-up party in the 3900 block of Shelbyville Road at St. Matthews Station. (WDRB photo)
'We wont' tolerate anything less'
As part of Greenberg's Safe Louisville plan, Metro ABC conducted nearly 400 enforcement actions last year against businesses with liquor licenses.
Bars and restaurants such as Double Deuce Sports Bar and Grill, 21st in Germantown, Fire Oven Pizza and others were among seven emergency liquor license suspensions in 2025.
That number has climbed this year, bringing the total number of emergency suspensions to 12.
In February, Metro ABC suspended the license at Mr. Silks Party Store in the Russell neighborhood for narcotics activity and failure to ensure compliance.
In June, Veronica's Mexican Restaurant on Poplar Level Road lost its license after an investigation found a person who drank alcohol there was later involved in a deadly crash.
Also that month, Atomic was issued an emergency suspension following a week of violence and disorder along Bardstown Road. Those suspensions have since been lifted.
The message from city leaders about enforcement remains the same.
"Safety cannot be at a minimal level and we won't tolerate anything less," Metro ABC Director Brad Silveria said.
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