Green Bay council denies Jamrock appeal, leaves Class B liquor license nonrenewed after video and multiple incidents

The Green Bay Common Council on Tuesday denied an appeal by Jamrock, 700 Bodart Street, and refused to renew the establishment’s Class B liquor license after staff presented surveillance video and multiple incident reports dating back to 2024.

City attorney (Attorney Maze) and police staff told the council the department recommended nonrenewal under Green Bay Municipal Code §4‑9(b) and related provisions because of repeated public‑safety incidents and stipulation‑agreement violations. Attorney Maze said council had seen a roughly five‑minute surveillance recording of a Jan. 27, 2024 incident in which the licensee retrieved a firearm and struck a patron repeatedly. "I would ask the council to not renew this individual's liquor license," Attorney Maze said during the presentation.

The police and city staff recited a series of events they described as the basis for that recommendation: a June 16, 2024 physical disturbance on the premises; a May 26, 2025 roughly 20‑person physical disturbance; a July 1, 2025 disturbance that began inside and spilled outside the facility; an Oct. 1, 2025 drug task force investigation that produced two small cocaine seizures (0.93 grams and 1.53 grams) tied to activity near the bar; a Nov. 7, 2025 physical‑disturbance response that led to arrests for resisting; and a Dec. 19, 2025 underage‑drinking complaint for which staff said the bar failed to timely produce surveillance video in a readily readable format as required by a prior stipulation agreement.

Chief Davis of the Green Bay Police Department told the council officers recovered multiple bullet fragments and took witness statements related to the Jan. 27, 2024 incident. "We had an officer who found, I believe, four or five bullet fragments," Chief Davis said when asked about evidence of a discharge.

Appellant counsel Heather Richmond urged the council to weigh context and recent compliance. Richmond noted the criminal case tied to the 2024 incident had been dismissed and later refiled; she argued the video showed the licensee attempting to de‑escalate and defending himself rather than committing an escalatory act. "I think the video shows [the licensee] defending himself," Richmond said, and she disputed several factual inferences made by staff about control of activity outside the premises.

The licensee, who testified at the hearing, said he acted to protect staff and patrons, denied firing a gun at anyone and described being "terrified" during the January incident. He also explained an ID‑scanner lapse as a payment/app issue with a phone app that he said was quickly corrected and said he believed officers had been given an opportunity to retrieve video files.

Council members pressed both sides on specifics: why police were not called immediately during the January incident, why interior lights were turned off that night, whether the drug transactions took place inside or outside the establishment, and whether the licensee met the terms of prior abatement and stipulation meetings. City counsel explained that licensing decisions are administrative and that the council may consider the “totality of the circumstances,” including incidents that predate the immediately preceding licensing year.

Several council members said the surveillance video and repeated failures to meet stipulation terms — particularly recurring problems with an ID scanner and the failure to deliver requested surveillance within five days — left them concerned about public safety and compliance. "I was looking through the police report... That's something new, and it's disturbing," Alder Grant said, urging denial.

Alder Grant moved to deny the appeal; Alder Lee Morgan seconded. The council voted by voice; the mayor announced "the ayes have it," and the motion passed, denying Mr. Neal's appeal and leaving Jamrock's Class B liquor license nonrenewed.

The council record shows the action was taken after roughly an hour of deliberation during a quasi‑judicial hearing; the decision was announced immediately after the voice vote. The hearing record indicates the DA dismissed and then refiled the criminal matter tied to the 2024 incident, and council members repeatedly emphasized that licensing standards differ from criminal thresholds.

The council concluded the evening by approving routine business and adjourning the meeting.