Police incidents have city of Dearborn, Post Bar owners at odds

DEARBORN, Mich. (WJBK) - There is a bar fight going on in Dearborn.

For the past eight months the city council president pro-tem  says police have been called there for various fights and other violence.

But the owners of bar say the violence isn't happening at the bar. They are just a victim of location.

The Post Bar is a pretty familiar place to City Council president  pro-tem Tom Tafelski - and it’s not for its drink specials. He says the police are routinely being called to break up fights both inside and outside the Michigan Avenue bar.

"The resources are being pulled from other parts of the city all because we have one bar that will not comply and keep people in check," he said.

About two weeks ago the council sat down with the bar owners and reached an agreement on hours, security and other things designed to cut down on crime.
 
Part of that agreement was the owners pay the cost for two police officers to work overtime at the bar as explained by the attorney representing the bar owners.

"The requirement that they pay overtime to two police officers to be there, was going to cost them an inordinate amount of money like $14,000 a month," said Hugh Davis, the Post Bar owners attorney.

Despite the agreement, officers from Dearborn were never hired by the post. 

"That was a part of the understanding they just didn't understand the cost," Davis said.

And Tafelski says, the violence escalated.

"In some cases there was gunshots as was the case a week ago," he said.

The attorney disputes that the bar had anything to do with the fights and shots fired saying it happened in a city owned parking lot across the street.
 
Then there is the question as to motive. Why would the city want them gone? Tafelski says it’s all about safety.

"This is an ongoing problem, that is a real issue," he said. "I think it's the city's obligation to make sure not only are those patrons safe, but the residents in the surrounding area are safe."

The attorney says it could be something else.

"They understand that Ford has development plans for that area of which would be next to, or involve their bar," Davis said. "And they understand someone might make them an offer they would find acceptable."
 
As for the rumors the city is trying to create problems so Ford can buy it up for a bargain, Tafelski says no.

"That's just simply untrue," Tafelski said. "We don't care if they operate, just play within the rules."

At this point there are no fines or punishment on the table. There will be another meeting between the city and owners. Both sides are hopeful they can co-exist.