Politics & Government
Village Board Scrutinizes 230 Elm, Police Practices After Labor Day Brawl
Trustees to consider new police training, evaluate fire safety of incident location.
A 20-person brawl during a has provoked the Southampton Village Board to consider additional police training and to re-evaluate the suitability of the former Polish Hall for large events.
Tim Burke, owner of , said on Monday he was open to the board’s moves. He said he will most likely not be allowing the party's host, Roger Pettaway of Southampton, to throw another party at his venue, but added that he remains open to the possibility.
“If he plans on doing it again, I would want to do a different type of event with him,” Burke said.
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Pettaway, a landscaper, has had three other parties at 230 Elm that were all completely under control, Burke said.
At the Sept. 3 event, a fight involving 20 people broke out during a party of 300 people, Chief Thomas Cummings told the village board Thursday evening. Police used pepper spray to subdue the crowd after taking a verbal approach for 20 minutes, he said.
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Michael Lacy, 20, of Southampton, was the only person . He was charged with riot in the second degree, resisting arrest, criminal mischief in the fourth degree and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree - all misdemeanors - and two counts of disorderly conduct, a violation.
Burke was also given a noise violation, Cummings said.
Mayor Mark Epley suggested the police department look into de-escalation training. Bar owners should also be trained to handle fights, he said.
Cummings said he had five police officers on duty that night, two extra, due to the holiday weekend.
Board Member William Hattrick expressed deep concern about the brawl and suggested looking into contacting the State Liquor Authority about 230 Elm’s license.
According to SLA spokesman Michael Smith, 230 Elm LLC renewed its liquor license in February and received a two-year extension. Smith said there is no reported adverse history at the bar.
“I’m astonished Elm allowed this to happen,” Hattrick said. “Five police officers are no match for 300 people who are lit up.”
After hearing from Cummings about the difficulty people had exiting 230 Elm, Epley said that he would look into having a fire marshal evaluate the building’s exits.
Burke said the number of guests at the event were nowhere near his maximum capacity, though he declined to share the legal limit allowed.
He had 10 security personnel at the event watching exits and entrances, he said.
Trustee Bonnie Cannon told the board that fights sometimes happen in Southampton Village.
“This is nothing new,” Cannon said. “This happens all the time, just not at 230 Elm.”