Five stabbed at nightclub in area notorious for problem establishments

A violent outbreak at the Crown KTV Club at 64th Street andEighth Avenue has raised the public radar about this and similarestablishments in the area known as trouble spots.

Chun Lin, 41, was arrested in connection with the stabbing offive people – four men and one woman – outside of the club around3:30 a.m. on August 8. One of the victims, a 48-year-old man, iscurrently in critical condition.

Eric Zheng, the manager of Crown KTV, said this is the firsttime a stabbing occurred at the establishment, and that the club isincreasing its security measures along Eighth and Ninth Avenues toprevent fights from moving inside. He pointed out that people oftenenter the club in an effort to settle their disputes, but whenthose disputes escalate into violence, the fighting parties areescorted out. But he added that, on a busy night, it’s difficult toavoid all such incidents.

In 10 seconds, anything can pop up – you don’t even have time,Zheng said. As you know, we’re just doing business.

Violence is not new to this karaoke club. In September of 2010,a confrontation between a bouncer and six young people attemptingto enter the club left the bouncer with a broken leg. Following theincident, the club was issued a disorderly premises summons, and areport was made to the State Liquor Authority, which issues and hasthe power to revoke liquor licenses if problems consistently cropup at an establishment.

Nor is Crown KTV is the only nightclub that has caused troublein the area, near P.S. 69, a grade school with 900 students. F1,formerly located at 65th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues,was closed down in 2010 due to ongoing violence and incidents ofunderage drinking.

And, earlier this summer, violence broke out outside of VLounge, located at 62nd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues,when two men were stabbed as they were leaving the club at 1 a.m.on June 28. The lounge backs on a row of two-family homes.

Locals in this now largely residential area have been vocalabout these concerns, according to Josephine Beckmann, the districtmanager of Community Board 10.

What a lot of families were concerned about was having anestablishment that served alcohol, and the issues and problemsspilling out to the school, she said. Residents who lived nearbysaid, ‘How can we have a nightclub so close to a public school with900 people?’ Clearly, there would be an overlap in the hours.

These were issues that the board took seriously when it reviewedthe application by Crown KTV for a wine and beer license, andlater, for a full liquor license.

While the board’s role is advisory only, concerns about the club– which the owners presented as a very different type ofestablishment, a family-friendly karaoke restaurant – led the boardto compile a list of 12 and later 14 stipulations that club ownersagreed to adhere to, in order to get the board’s support.

As it turned out, despite the protestations of its ownersbeforehand, the club did not abide by all of the stipulations itagreed to, by advertising and allowing patron dancing in April,2010, a circumstance that led CB 10 to request that the club’sliquor license be revoked.

Generally, you don’t find out what a place is like until theyopen the door, said Susan Pulaski, the chair of the board’s Policeand Public Safety Committee.

Despite the concerns, Beckmann believes that local police haveeffectively responded to such problems, especially the August 8incident.

I’m really happy with the [68] Precinct – it’s reassuring andresidents are happy to hear that we had an arrest immediately,Beckmann said.

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