Green Bay council denies appeal, refuses to renew Jamrock's class B liquor license

The Green Bay Common Council voted July 7 to deny the appeal of Jamrock's owner and decline renewal of the bar's class B liquor license at 700 Beaudart (transcript also spells the street "Bodart"). The decision followed a quasi-judicial hearing in which city attorneys and police outlined multiple incidents dating to 2024 and 2025, and the council viewed roughly five minutes of surveillance footage from a Jan. 27, 2024 incident.

City counsel said the police department recommended non-renewal based on a pattern of calls for service and specific licensing violations. "The video more or less speaks for itself regarding this incident," Attorney Mays told the council, summarizing police reports that include disturbances, a drug task-force investigation on Oct. 1, 2025 and alleged failures to comply with stipulation agreements on providing surveillance video and maintaining a working ID scanner.

Police evidence presented to the council included a recorded drug transaction (reported quantities 0.93 grams and 1.53 grams of cocaine) and, from the Jan. 27, 2024 footage, what counsel described as the licensee retrieving a firearm, a physical assault on a patron ("punching him 10 to 13 times" in the transcript) and bullet fragments found at the scene. Chief Davis told the council officers recovered multiple bullet fragments and that the totality of incidents since early 2024 supported staff's risk assessment: "Taken in total ' it's our staff's assessment ... there is considerable risk involved in continuing to renew this establishment," he said.

The owner and his counsel disputed the police account and urged the council to consider context. Attorney Heather Richmond said the criminal case tied to the 2024 incident was dismissed for witness-availability reasons and later refiled, and she argued the video shows an altercation in which the owner acted in self-defense. "I think the video shows Mister [Ricord] O'Neil defending himself," Richmond said, adding the licensee had completed an abatement plan and that many later incidents occurred outside the premises.

The owner, identified in the hearing record as Ricord O'Neil and also referred to in the transcript as Mr. Neil / Mr. Veil, denied intentionally firing at anyone and said he acted to protect staff and patrons. On the 2024 incident he told the council, "I did not shot him" (transcript wording) and repeatedly said he left the scene because he feared further danger. His counsel said the licensee provided surveillance video and believed officers had the footage but that a police pickup did not occur within the five-day window that the stipulation agreement required.

Council members split on how to weigh prior remediation against the severity shown on video. Some members urged deference to the criminal process in prior years; others said the video and apparent noncompliance with stipulations justified denying the appeal. "We have to have really high standards," one councilor said, urging the council to treat licenses as privileges that require meeting public-safety standards.

Alder Eck moved to deny the appeal; the motion was seconded by Alder Morgan and carried on a voice vote when the mayor announced, "the ayes have it." The council did not provide a roll-call tally in the hearing record; the clerk announced the motion succeeded and the appeal was denied.

The council record shows staff based the non-renewal recommendation on Green Bay Municipal Code section 4-9 and related provisions of Wisconsin Statutes chapter 125. The meeting packet included police reports and the stipulation agreement cited by staff; the council permitted testimony, cross-examination and a short rebuttal period but did not take additional public comment for this quasi-judicial item.

Next steps were not specified in the hearing minutes. The appeal denial completes the council's licensing decision for Jamrock for this cycle; the transcript indicates the underlying criminal case related to the 2024 incident had been refiled and remained pending at the time of the hearing.