OP/ED: The Element defended after Saturday's brawl
By Kyra Hoggan
When Florio Vassilakakis of the Element Night Club called me, upset about a story we ran (Brawl involves 40 to 50 people outside Element Saturday night), my initial response was deep annoyance.
Oh God, I thought, Another prima donna businessman cheesed off at me for doing my job – not because my coverage was wrong, but because he doesn’t like negative publicity. Cry me a river.
Turns out, I was wrong – Vassilakakis was both respectful and reasonable, and presented such cogent arguments in defense of his establishment that I feel compelled to write a follow up. The reason I’m doing it in column format instead of straight hard news is that I think the involvement of alcohol makes this an emotionally-charged debate for many Castlegar residents, and it’s an issue better suited to honest introspection and than to black-and-white news.
Vassilakakis himself acknowledges that he’s not serving soft drinks and virgin daiquiris, and the combination of crowds of people and alcohol consumption brings with it a unique set of problems.
But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s start with the story we posted on Wednesday. Vassilakakis rightly pointed out that saying 40 or 50 people were involved in a brawl leaves most readers believing 40 or 50 people were throwing punches.
Such was not the case, and I fell asleep at the switch in not clarifying – when police say “involved”, they are referring to those who witnessed the event as well – onlookers who did not disperse. So it could have been as few as two or three people actually fighting.
From a police perspective, describing it that way makes sense – all the people there had to be dealt with in one way or another (with only one cab in town, dispersing a crowd at 3 a.m. can be challenging), and three RCMP officers were tied up for hours coping with the aftermath. Perhaps more importantly, the more people present, late at night, under the influence of alcohol and with emotions running high, the greater the danger to emergency responders, who are grossly outnumbered in an unpredictable and potentially volatile situation.
From a journalistic perspective, I should have realized how readers would interpret the word “involved” and made clear how police were defining the word … Vassilakakis was absolutely correct in saying I misrepresented the situation (albeit unwittingly). For that, I apologize, and promise to learn from my mistake.
Police also contended that the conflict was brewing within the club, before anyone went outside, and Vassilakakis concurs – but he said it actually began before the fighters even entered his establishment. He said club staff were aware of the issue and tried to diffuse it – in fact, Vassilakakis himself assisted one of the parties out the back door in the hope that an inconspicuous exit would solve the problem.
He also said he and two of his door staff were present during the whole confrontation. “The perception is that we’re just pushing all the problems out onto the sidewalk – that’s not true. We do everything we can.”
Which brings me to the larger issue – is doing ‘what they can’ enough?
Let’s look at it from Vassilakakis’s perspective for a moment: there really is a limit to what his staff can do – they’re not police, and sometimes having doormen wade into a conflict causes more problems than it solves, creating full-fledged brawls where none would otherwise have taken place. I saw it happen often enough, back in my bartending days in Calgary – a doorman steps in to pull two combatants apart; the fellows’ drinking buddies decide to ‘help’, and the next thing you know, all hell breaks loose. It’s a tough line to walk, and I’m not without sympathy for that position.
The idea that the Element should have to either pay for increased policing or hire more private security is one I think has merit – but Vassilakakis makes a point when he says the perspective that he’s costing the community money (through police overtime, vandalism, etc.) is not entirely fair.
“I pay $20,000 a year in commercial taxes – one of the highest rates in the province – what’s that for, if not to cover the cost of services like policing?” he said, adding it’s not like the Element is disengaged with the community. In fact, the club routinely donates a great deal of money to local charities; hosts fundraisers; offers in-kind donations and more … so when Vassilakakis objects to the perception that the Element is a fiscal liability to the city, he’s on some pretty solid ground.
“The police aren’t here every night – and if it was any other taxpayer (requiring police attendance), there would be no suggestion they should pay for it,” he said.
He acknowledged there have been issues with vomit and other alcohol-related mess, and has hired a cleaning service – they clean up as far as West’s department store down the block.
He pointed out that the Element has never been issued a contravention order (a penalty for overserving or serving minors). Yes, there have been issues with fake IDs – but is the Element solely to blame for that? Or can we maybe look at the minors themselves and even perhaps their parents? Is this an Element issue ..or a societal one? I know in my misbegotten youth, if we couldn’t sneak into a bar, we’d have someone bootleg for a bush party instead – tighter rules didn’t stop us, they just forced a change in venue… to a more dangerous venue. Later, as a bartender, I was diligent about checking IDs …but sometimes got fooled by good forgeries and kids who looked ridiculously mature for their ages. It’s not a Element-specific problem – but it IS an issue unique to alcohol sales, be that in bars or liquor stores.
So who is responsible for it?
Along the same lines, would the absence of the Element stop people from drinking and behaving like asses? Not a chance. I think there’s something to be said for concentrating the lunacy to a single location – police know exactly where to set up check stops on a Saturday night in Castlegar, as the bottleneck of Columbia Avenue forces intoxicated revellers to go exactly where police can catch them after an evening of overindulgence (as opposed to, say, house parties scattered around the city).
Which brings me to the heart of the issue – is the problem the Element, the alcohol, or both … and should the Element be held accountable for the inevitable mischief that occurs when people consume alcohol? If so, how much so? And when does individual responsibility play a role? When do we blame the drunks instead of the venue?
The Element is, in many ways, very good for the city. It provides an outlet for the majority of folks who head there just looking to have a fun night out. It donates to charity and draws patrons (and money) from neighbouring communities. It’s a significant taxpayer. It’s making efforts to mitigate alcohol-related issues through hiring cleaning and door staff. It’s helping contain some of the alcohol-consumption issues in a single venue.
But, of course, there’s a flip side to this particular coin. If I lived or owned a business downtown, I’d despise them. Is it their fault, or the revellers, that noisy crowds hang out after the bar closes? That some of said revellers vandalize, urinate and vomit in the area? How much of the problem is the result of the Element’s existence, and how much would continue with or without the Element here to serve as a lightning rod for community upset? And what can we reasonably expect the Element to do in response to these problems?
There’s no doubt the venue has drawn police attention more than once – is that just the cost of doing business? Or does the Element have a responsibility to do more to mitigate the issue?
I honestly don’t know. I don’t have any simple answers. What I’d really like is to hear from you – I’d love to hear your ideas, thoughts and suggestions on the matter. My impression, after talking to Vassilakakis at some length, is that he’s ready and able to address the problems when and where he has the power to do so … so now it’s time, I think, for the community to step up and tell him what we want from him and from the Element.
I think there are few people in this city who would like to see the Element close its doors altogether. So where do we draw the line – what are we willing to tolerate, and what do we consider intolerable, and whom do we hold accountable for the latter?
It’s not enough to complain to family and friends; to vilify the night club to coworkers over the water cooler. Let’s start coming up with solutions.
This isn’t an ‘Element’ problem – it’s a community one. So let’s start exploring how to solve it – as a community. I can be reached at info@castlegarsource.com, or via regular mail at Box 3282, Castlegar, V1N 2B1. Vassilakakis can be contacted via florio@clubelement.ca
