The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board has announced it is issuing an emergency liquor license suspension for Flowers Bar & Restaurant, per a report from the agency on Thursday.
The suspension is effective for 180 days and began on Wednesday, June 7. During that time, the LCB will seek permanent revocation of the license from the establishment located at 4247 University Way NE in Seattle.
Investigations conducted by the LCB’s Enforcement and Education division officers found a consistent pattern of disregard for the health and safety of the community. They include serving liquor to minors, participating in violence, and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement, according to the LCB.
LCB officers report conducting 39 premises checks since the start of 2022. During this time, officers confiscated 20 fake IDs from minors in possession of alcohol inside the location.
In the last 12 months, there have been at least 11 calls to Seattle Police Department for violent incidents directly related to Flowers, their staff, and their patrons. Most recently, on May 21, an incident involving security staff and the licensee repeatedly punching a patron on the sidewalk outside the building, inciting an incident involving gunshots, per the LCB report released on Thursday.
In collaboration with representatives from the Seattle Police Department and the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, LCB officers repeatedly met with the licensees to discuss measures to prevent further violence. During these meetings, Flowers agreed to implement a variety of preventative and responsive safety measures, most of which were not completed, according to the LCB.
There have been multiple incidents where patrons, employees, or licensees have been uncooperative with LCB officers, firefighters, and SPD officers. The licensees allegedly refused to provide evidence to SPD and refused to cooperate with Seattle Fire Department’s requests to comply with building capacity limits, the LCB reports.
The request for an emergency suspension was supported not only by the direct observations of LCB officers but by several community constituents, according to the LCB. They includ the Seattle Police Department, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, the University District Partnership, and several neighboring businesses.
Emergency suspensions represent an extraordinary exercise of the state’s power and the LCB is tasked with ensuring that an emergency suspension is reasonable, justifiable, and legal.
Based on the seriousness of the violations, the conduct of the licensee, and the likelihood the licensee will commit these violations in the future, the board of the LCB found that these activities constitute a direct and immediate threat to public health and safety. The board, therefore, approved an emergency suspension of the license.
For more information about the Liquor and Cannabis Board, concerned citizens can visit its website.
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