Detroit’s El Club closes over ‘police intimidation’ on Cinco de Mayo weekend
Police were blasted last year for swarming businesses that participated in the celebrations
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A popular Southwest Detroit music venue called El Club closed down Saturday to avoid what its general manager described as “police intimidation.”
The closure comes one year after Detroit police were heavily criticized for swarming businesses participating in the city’s Cinco de Mayo festival and threatening attendees with arrests if they didn’t disperse. At the time, seven people were detained, and Councilwoman Mary Waters called the police tactics “racist” and “xenophobic.”
One year later, police were aggressive again, stopping at every business on Vernor ostensibly to verify businesses had the proper licenses, according to El Club general manager Lauren “Lo” McGrier. When police arrived at El Club, they were rude and “making up rules that I never heard before,” McGrier wrote in an Instagram post.
The promoter for Saturday’s event at El Club “pulled out and moved venues,” McGrier said, because “he got wind that the police would be out DEEP today and considering what happened last year he didn’t want to lose out on his expenses.”
McGrier felt like El Club was treated unfairly.
“It hurts and it’s unfair,” McGrier wrote on Instagram, adding that she considered holding another entertainment event, but “I knew the cops were going to find any excuse to shut us down so we opted out of the headache today.”
McGrier said police informed her that she wasn’t allowed to have deadbolts on her doors, “which is odd bc I’ve been there for 4 years and no fire marshals has ever said that.”
“Then I said not having locks on my doors could mean I’d experience theft and he basically said oh well ‘the Fox and the Fillmore experience theft too’ as if them niggas don’t have millions to play with,” McGrier said.
In a statement to Metro Times, Detroit police defended their presence over the weekend.
“The Detroit Police Department had an adequate number of officers deployed throughout southwest Detroit to ensure the safety of all attendees of yesterday's Cinco de Mayo parade and celebrations,” the department said.
The department also said DPD was helping fire officials address concerns at El Club.
“The DPD does not handle situations regarding entries and exits, the Detroit Fire Department does,” DPD said. “Officers accompanied Detroit Fire to this location to assist, and to provide translation services.”
