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LOCAL
THURSDAY, JUNE 14 - 20, 2018 • Page 5
Nightclub claims discrimination in
lawsuit against Chamblee ordinance
The Mansion Elan at 3595 Clairmont Road in Chamblee is suing the city of Chamblee for an ordinance that
changes the cutoff time for alcohol sales in the evening. Photos by Derek Smith.
BY DEREK SMITH
derek@dekalbchamp.com
A Chamblee nightclub is accusing
the city of passing a policy “designed
to harass, discriminate and eliminate
businesses that serve late-night
entertainment to minorities,” according
to a federal court filing.
Officials of the Chamblee nightclub
The Mansion Elan filed the lawsuit
with U.S District Court June 5, seeking
a preliminary injunction against an
ordinance passed by Chamblee City
Council in February and set to take
effect June 5. The ordinance moves
the weekday and Saturday cutoff for
alcohol sales from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. The
ordinance moves the Sunday cutoff
from 3 a.m. Monday to 11:59 p.m.
Sunday, except on special events and
such as Super Bowl Sunday.
According to the lawsuit, officials
with The Mansion Elan renewed their
liquor license effective Jan. 1, 2018, with
an expiration date of Dec. 31, 2018.
The lawsuit alleges the nightclub did so
with the expectation that it would be
able to sell alcohol until 3 a.m. through
the duration of the license and had
no notice of a new ordinance when it
applied for the license.
The lawsuit alleges that the
ordinance violates the right to due
process in changing the cutoff time
for alcohol sales midway through a
licensing period without due notice and
without the right to an appeal.
In an affidavit from Gilbert Smith,
owner of The Mansion Elan, Smith
claims that “over 90 percent of the
nightclubs in [Chamblee] are minority
owned and operated,” and the
nightclubs “cater to a culturally diverse
crowd, primarily African-Americans,
Hispanics and Asians.”
The lawsuit claims that the
ordinance violates the Equal Protection
Clause of the 14th Amendment of the
United States Constitution.
In a statement, attorney Leron Rog
ers, who represents The Mansion Elan,
said Chamblee “took a disturbing and
unprecedented step by suddenly chang
ing rules.”
“The fact that this ordinance
solely targets establishments like
The Mansion—that serve a minority
clientele—speaks to the fundamental
issue of fairness and equality,” Rogers
said.
The lawsuit further alleges that the
failure to grant an injunction will cause
irreparable injury to The Mansion
Elan. It claims that without injunction
The Mansion Elan could lose up to
50 percent of its revenue and will be
unable to honor numerous contracts
executed before it learned of the
reduced business hours.
“The enforcement of the new
ordinance will curtail expression of free
speech that has too long been the target
of repression and discrimination,”
the lawsuit reads. “The deprivation of
both the financial and social benefits
of minority establishments injures the
entire public.”
Chamblee spokesperson Tisa Moore
said the city had no comment on the
case since it’s under litigation.
STORM
Continued From Page 1A
A fallen tree on Sycamore Street in Decatur blocked the road for several hours. Photo by John Hewitt
step,” Swanson said.
According to Decatur
Police Department,
approximately 150 calls were
received during the height of
the storm.
Ellen Hopkins, who lives
in Decatur, said she watched
the storm unfold from the
top floor of her condo in
downtown.
“It was terrifying,” Hopkins
said.
Hopkins moved from New
York to Decatur in hopes of
avoiding extreme weather such
as hail and snow.
“This was a little bit more
excitement than I expected,”
Hopkins said. “At one point it
was 90 degrees yesterday. It’s
unusual and I’m new to the
area but it was almost as bad
as the snow storms we have in
New York.”
Decatur Police
Spokesperson Jennifer
Ross said communications
officers did an exceptional job
responding to calls related to
the storm.
“Our staff did a
remarkable job yesterday.
Communications officers
Jennifer Guthrie, Doris
Thompson and Khalil Dias
handled an overwhelming
call volume from the 911 and
non-emergency lines as well
as dispatching officers and
firefighters and monitoring
all radio traffic in a calm
and professional manner
throughout the storm. Patrol
officers canvassed the city
assessing issues, blocking
roadways and helping those
who were trapped in their
cars,” Ross said.
Ross posted a video on
Decatur Police Department’s
Facebook page of flooding
on Trinity Place. Several cars
struggled to drive through the
flooded street.
“I posted that video to
show everyone the extent of
the flooding and how easy it
is to become trapped,” Ross
said. “Social media allows us
a platform to quickly share
information and visuals.”
Ross said in case of a
storm, residents should avoid
driving through flooded areas.
“Vehicles were trapped in
rising water trying to make
it through flooded areas
yesterday. Remember to ‘turn
around, don’t drown!’Also,
be aware of the potential
for falling trees and downed
power lines,” Ross said.
AWARDS
Continued From Page 1A
in editorial writing John
Hewitt received a second-
place. In news photo,
Hudgons took second place;
and in spot news photo,
Belzer took first place.
In the category of Serious
Column, The Champion
took first and second place
with Gay bettering Hewitt.
In Breaking News Writing,
Holloman took third
place; in Headline Writing
Champion staff writers
Holloman and Mitchell took
first place.
In the category of Layout
and Design The Champion
took first place, and a
second-place award was
given for Page One design.
The Champion was also
awarded a first-place in
the category of Local News
Coverage. The Champions
annual guide to DeKalb took
third-place for special issues.
Sports editor Carla
Parker was recognized with
a third-place for sports
writing.