MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A weekend stabbing at Club Crave was the final straw for Memphis Mayor A C Wharton. He now wants the controversial Beale Street club shut down.
Mayor Wharton said that he not only wants Club Crave gone, he wants the building condemned. He said the 380 Beale location is cursed.
24-year-old James Williams is still in the hospital. He was stabbed as he was leaving the club in the early morning hours of December 4, 2011.
That was just the latest incident. The club was shut down under a nuisance order by the DA's office last summer.
In September it reopened under a new name and new management, but the problems remained. Since it reopened, four people have been arrested for beating up an officer and eight people have been shot.
The mayor said the city is done giving any support to the club and he wants it gone for good.
"Whatever happens there casts a blemish on Beale and it's got to go. They've had every chance to run a business that complies with the law and they've shown they cannot do that."
Mayor Wharton calls the club a hazard and a threat. He said he's in talks with the DA's office, the City Attorney and Memphis Police to shut it down. Until then he's asking MPD to have officers camped out in front of the business.
