‘The Dream’ punishment sparks debate on business’ responsibility to maintain safety

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A controversial Chattanooga nightclub once again found itself in front of the Chattanooga Beer Board for the fifth straight meeting.

Over the past four months, The Dream on Glass Street has had two different shooting incidents.

A security guard for “The Dream” nightclub shooting back at a gunman with an assault rifle.

The second incident involving a shootout was the one in question Thursday morning.

But the questions raised may have implications beyond the club.

The main question raised during Thursday’s hearing was, should a business be punished if the incident started off its property?

The club’s attorney argued, “If you think this is a strict liability ordinance, then when there’s a shooting in a convenience store parking lot or a murder. When there’s a fight in a Walmart parking lot. They need to be brought in, and prosecuted under this same ordinance because it’s being arbitrarily enforced if it’s not!”

The Beer Board’s listed violation for the Dream is operating their establishment in a disorderly manner.

The hearing officer in this case concluded that due to the club’s security officer using an assault rifle along with previous incidents, it was fair to punish them for this.

However, the shooting began from outside of the club’s property, which raised hypothetical situations.

Board member J.W. Cole, who owns a bar on Brainerd Road, said, “If people are driving and just shooting, whether it’s Walmart, whatever it may be, how can one establishment be held accountable, and it not being the fault of the establishment?… I don’t know, this is JW speaking, this is fair to penalize someone for someone else who comes driving down Brainerd Road and starts shooting in front of my establishment, and then at the end of the day I am held accountable in front of this board because somebody is doing a drive by on Brainerd Road.”

However, other members argue it’s the business’s responsibility to establish a safe environment.

Board member Betsy Hartman said, “It’s not so much that there was the drive by that occurred off the property, but it was the response of the bar’s security that led to the disorderly conduct.”

The Beer Board elected to give the nightclub an additional three day suspension of their beer license.

The business could also choose to pay a thousand dollar fine to forgo the suspension.