Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly calls for permanent closure of Artis Restaurant and Lounge after mass shooting
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) on Thursday called for the city to permanently shut down a River North nightclub, after a mass shooting outside Wednesday night left four people dead and 14 wounded.
Reilly, whose ward includes the Artis Restaurant and Lounge nightclub, called the shooting disturbing, and cited a history of violence at the location as a reason to shut it down.
After an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz, police said someone in a dark vehicle drove past the nightclub as the rapper's friends and fans hung around outside, firing shots into the crowd.
Rabbi Avraham Kagan heard the gunfire.
"It was last night around 11, and we just heard we heard noise. It was gunshots; pow, pow, pow," Kagan said.
Four people were killed and 14 others injured.
The owners of the lounge, Brandi and Brittany Artis, rented the space just a few months ago, and promoted the fact it was owned by Black queer women.
Exavier Pope, who attended a soft opening for the lounge earlier this year to celebrate one of the owner's birthdays, said, "It is a beautiful space."
"It is a very welcoming space," he said.
But the space has also has a history of violence.
In November 2022, one person was killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at the former Hush Lounge nightclub in the same space. Operating under a different owner at the time, the city temporarily closed Hush after that shooting, and under pressure from Reilly the city revoked its licenses and eventually shut Hush down.
In a statement released on Thursday, Reilly asked the city to revoke Artis Lounges' business license, and immediately pursue permanent closure of the club.
"Given the serious public safety concerns and clear mismanagement of this event, I am calling on the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to revoke this business license immediately and pursue permanent closure of the establishment," Reilly wrote.
The Chicago Police Department already has issued a summary closure of the building, temporarily closing it amid an investigation into the shooting and the location itself.
"Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity, and serve as a hub for connection, creativity, and joy - the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release," Reilly wrote. "It is clear the new operators were dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence—just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant.'"
Pope thinks forcing Artis Lounge to shut down is a harsh move for the new owners
"These women started this business in this community to be able to make a safe space, and it was tarnished, and this shouldn't be the overall way that the community views them as business owners,"
There have been other violent incidents the River North community in recent years. In May 2022, just a few blocks from what is now Artis Lounge, a mass shooting left 2 dead and 7 hurt outside of a McDonald's at Chicago Avenue and State Street.
In October 2023, a block away, eight people were shot outside a restaurant and bar in the 300 block of West Erie Street.
More security is what Rabbi Kagan would like to see.
"When such incidents occur, that's an automatic call for more security, which helps ensure these things don't happen again, and it also acutally helps those who are perpetrating the crimes," he said.
The restaurant's owners had no comment on Reilly's call to shut them down.
