Mobile City Council holds hearing on revoking Fat Tuesdays’ business license after years of police calls

The Mobile City Council on Oct. 14 held a public hearing to consider revoking the business license of Fat Tuesdays, a late‑night club at 1608 St. Stephens Road, after city attorneys and Mobile Police Department officers described years of repeated police responses, criminal incidents and community complaints tied to the address.

City legal staff told the council that “since 2022, the MPD has responded over 270 calls for services at this address,” citing shootings, assaults, weapons violations, narcotics activity, disorderly conduct, overcrowding incidents and alleged illegal alcohol sales, and recommending revocation under City Ordinance 34‑64. Lieutenant Mac Russell “Rusty” Hardeman of the Third Precinct testified that he and his officers had been called to the location frequently, that overcrowding was routine and that parking from patrons regularly blocked residential streets and emergency access. “This year alone, there have been close to a — calls, a 100 incidents at that location,” Hardeman said. He described officers recovering firearms tied to arrests and recalled an incident in late August when one of his officers narrowly avoided being hit by gunfire.

Lieutenant Tilford Saunders, narcotics and vice commander, said undercover officers observed open marijuana use “inside the club,” and that investigators were able to purchase narcotics from a bartender. Saunders said a search warrant executed in August led to a charge alleging the owner had a firearm while a person forbidden to possess one. “We purchased marijuana behind the bar,” he testified, and said ABC board staff had previously cited the establishment for after‑hours alcohol sales on Sundays.

The club’s attorney, Joshua Bridal, disputed parts of the city’s account and asked the council not to revoke the license. Bridal said the bar has operated for more than 15 years, that many incidents cited by police occurred off the club’s property and that his client has hired off‑duty officers and private security. “We emphatically deny drug use and drug sale at this business,” Bridal said. He submitted petitions and written material from neighbors asking the council to consider remedies short of revocation.

Neighbors and other community members offered conflicting accounts. Belinda Pearman, who said she lives directly behind the club, told the council, “If his club stay open, it's gonna continue to be a mess.” By contrast, Chandra Ledoux, a former corrections employee who said she once bartended at the venue, urged the council to allow the owner to correct problems, saying the owner supports community events and volunteer efforts.

Council members asked detailed questions about the scope of police responses, whether off‑duty officers working at the site had sufficient authority to control crowds off private property, which agencies had issued warnings or citations, and whether the pattern of incidents was continuing. City staff and police said they had repeatedly notified the owner and pursued enforcement for overcrowding, illegal sales and other violations since 2022; police also said some off‑duty officers hired for crowd control typically handled only the club’s immediate property.

The council voted to waive the meeting’s standard time limits so witnesses could finish testimony. After public comment concluded and documents were submitted for the record, the council closed the hearing. No final vote on revocation was recorded during the Oct. 14 meeting; the matter remains under council consideration and may return at a future meeting for formal action.

The hearing record includes police incident counts, citations and at least two search warrants that police said were executed at the property; the city presented those records and two MPD officers testified in support of the revocation recommendation. The owner’s legal team asked the council to weigh whether incidents cited occurred on the club’s property or off‑site, noted one ABC citation for after‑hours sales and said the business has taken steps such as hiring security and off‑duty officers.

What happens next: the council clerk received petitions and documents from both sides for the record. Council members indicated they could consider additional enforcement options or a later vote to revoke the license after reviewing the submitted materials and the MPD’s evidence.

Ending: The council’s consideration of Fat Tuesdays’ license remains open. If the council schedules a formal vote, it will be recorded in a future meeting’s minutes and any legal authority cited by the city will be noted in the council’s action.