Chattanooga Beer and Wrecker Board member Christopher Keene said Thursday the violence at the Kanku’s at Wilcox and Tunnel boulevards is not a beer problem. The problem, he said, is there is "no PTA, no Little League, no parents making sure their children are at home. Because of that, we need a larger police presence in that area," he said.
Kanku’s #9 owner Ashish Chaudhari was asked by the board to attend the meeting. He was not cited for any violation of the beer ordinance. Mr. Chaudhari was present with his lawyer, Lloyd Stanley.
Attorney Stanley said his client owns three Kanku’s in the Chattanooga area. There are other Kanku’s in the city not owned by Mr. Chaudhari. Mr. Stanley said the violence is not a Kanku’s problem. It is a problem related to gangs, guns, unemployment and the economy. There was violence in the area prior to Mr. Chaudhari opening his business there, he said.
Kanku’s, attorney Stanley said, has always had one off-duty Chattanooga Police officer hired to provide security. Since the most recent shooting, the store has hired a second officer. The cost of security is $2,500 per week, attorney Stanley said. Kanku’s cannot maintain that level of security at that cost for much longer, he said.
Closing Kanku’s is not a resolution to the problem, attorney Stanley said. Closing the store would deprive the neighborhood of a convenience while the violence would continue on an empty store front lot.
He noted that the shooter in the most recent case was apprehended after police watched video recordings from the store security cameras.
The city must address the violence issue, attorney Stanley said.
Robert Schreane addressed the board as a concerned citizen. He said he feels the owner of Kanku’s has become too relaxed with the situation. He said after midnight, there is no way to pull into Kanku’s lot because so many cars and people are standing around.
Mr. Schreane also called for increased police presence. “Crime goes away when there is a police presence,” he said. The community, he added, "is sick of statements from the chief of police who said, 'Get a license number when you hear gunshots.' Who in their right mind is going to go looking for a license tag when shooting starts?” Mr. Schreane asked.
James Hill, another concerned citizen, said this is a city problem. He said criminals are given a slap on the hand and released. Police officers put their life on the line everyday making arrests and the offenders get off easy, he said.
The board thanked Mr. Chaudhari for coming before the panel. The board took no formal action on the matter although several board members expressed a desire for increased police presence in the area.
The board had more discussion on a proposed ordinance to regulate non-consent towing from private property. Board attorney Ken Fritz provided board members with copies of the proposed ordinance with blanks where fees were to be mentioned.
The board heard from several wrecker operators who said they typically charge from $185 to $250 for towing on private property. The fees are based on the city’s fee structure for being on the rotation list for towing after an accident, they said.
Officer John Collins said there is no current regulation of fees for towing on private property. Any fee an operator wants to charge is legal at this time. He said he has calls every week, even from other police officers, asking if the operators are towing legally.
Officer Collins recommended the board adopt the $125 daytime and $135 nighttime fee as set forth in the city’s wrecker rotation ordinance without any add-on fees for dollies or winching.
After much discussion, the board tentatively set the following day/night rates for non-consent towing on private property:
Class A - $125/$135 (most private vehicles)
Class B - $250/$285 (vehicles over 26 feet in length)
Class C - $425/$500 (tractor trailers, etc.)
In addition, the board tentatively set the drop fee (to release a vehicle from the truck before it is towed off the lot) at $75. Multi-axle vehicle drop fee was set at $150.
Storage fees for vehicles kept at the operators lot was tentatively set at $20/day. After 10 days of storage, the operator can charge a processing fee of $15.
Attorney Fritz said he will incorporate the recommended fees into the proposed ordinance and bring it back to the board at the next meeting on April 1. The board, he said, will have to vote to send the proposed ordinance to the City Council as its recommendation.
In other business, the board approved the following applications for consumer beer licenses:
Robert Riddle
Black Creek Club, LLC
4700 Cummings Highway
Emelina Del Socorro Lemus
Mel’s Roadhouse
6312 Bonny Oaks Dr.