Council fails to pass motions, assuring renewal of liquor license for banquet hall

A Cape Girardeau banquet hall will have its liquor license renewed after the city council Monday failed to secure the necessary four votes to uphold the city manager’s decision to deny it.

Council members initially voted 3-2 to grant a provisional license for six months rather than the regular one-year license with Mayor Bob Fox and council members Daniel Presson and Shelly Moore supporting the motion. Council members Ryan Essex and Stacy Kinder dissented.

The council then sought to uphold the denial of the liquor license, which garnered “yes” votes from only Essex and Kinder.

Councilman Robbie Guard abstained on both votes.

Afterward, the Cape Girardeau banker said he abstained because Ricky Werner, who owns River Valley Banquet Center, is a customer of his bank.

Only six council members attended the meeting as the Ward 3 seat was vacant.

Council members chose an applicant to fill the vacant seat, but only after completing city business Monday, including handling the liquor license issue.

Fox said he felt it would have been unfair to install a new council member and have that person vote on city business without having the opportunity to review the agenda items.

City manager Scott Meyer earlier this summer denied the renewal application for River Valley Banquet Center, 631 S. Sprigg St., citing public safety concerns over shootings and other disturbances there.

Werner appealed the decision to the city’s three-member Liquor License Review Board, which upheld the denial.

Werner then appealed to the city council.

His attorney, Ron Garms, told the council his client was being unfairly singled out for disturbances for which the banquet hall was not to blame.

Cape Girardeau city officials have sought to shut down the business since an April 27 shooting incident in which approximately 50 shots were fired.

No one was struck by the bullets in the incident, according to police. The discovery of 42 shell casings showed shots were fired by at least three people outside the banquet center, police said. Eight vehicles were struck by bullets.

City officials have said the incident was just the latest violent episode at River Valley Banquet Center.

“Somebody is going to die if they keep operating like that,” police chief Wes Blair said after the incident.

Werner, who also owns the Independence Place bar, said earlier this summer he was being scapegoated by city officials.

Moore, who represents the city’s south-side neighborhood, said residents have told her they do not believe partygoers at the hall started the disturbance.

“People in the neighborhood thought it was people from outside of town,” she said.

Garms said the council would be denying his client’s civil rights if it were to uphold the denial of a liquor license.

He said city officials have not shut down bars and convenience stores in the city where other violent disturbances and shootings have occurred.

Police cited three major incidents at the South Sprigg Street address, including two since March:

• A fight in front of a large crowd behind the banquet hall July 21, 2018, requiring police to use pepper spray to stop the fight and disperse a hostile crowd.
• A report of a gunshot and several people running from the hall March 31 after a performance by a rapper, FBG Duck, who police said has Chicago gang affiliations and promotes gun violence.
• The April 27 shooting.

Liquor board members pointed out last month there were some 60 incidents reported to police in the vicinity of the banquet hall since January 2018. But Garms argued most of the incidents had no connection to the business, including the three major incidents.

Garms said the April incident started at a nearby church and did not involve anyone attending a party for teenagers at the banquet center.

Police had also cited Werner for operating without a business license earlier this year. He has since obtained a license.

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