Northside Nightclub Gets 20-Day Suspension

Site of Eve Lounge, 6222 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Photo taken July 12 by Jeramey Jannene.

A northside bar and restaurant will be closed for nearly three weeks following a suspension handed down by the City of Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on July 11 to suspend the license for Eve Lounge, 6222 W. Fond du Lac Ave., as a result of eight-item police report that included complaints of fighting, selling hookah without a tobacco license and — most notably — an on-site shooting that employees seem to have attempted to cover up, according to one alderman.

The nonfatal shooting, which occurred on Feb. 1, 2023, was discussed at length during a June 27 license renewal hearing. Eve Lounge owner Thomas Holmes, who was accompanied by Attorney Emil Ovbiagele, explained that the incident occurred between a staff member and an independent contractor who was renting kitchen space at the establishment.

During an altercation, the contractor became angry, threatened to kill the staff member and attempted to kick down a door, at which point the staff member shot him in the leg.

According to the police report, officers were dispatched to the address for a shooting complaint. Upon arrival, they found staff cleaning and mopping the floors, and were told that no shooting had occurred. Video surveillance for the establishment was unplugged, which prevented officers from watching the footage.

Officers reported that they later found a casing and bullet fragment in one of the garbage bags and another bullet fragment in the bar area.

At the hearing, Holmes said that he was “distraught” to learn that employees had not called the police after the shooting. “I was very upset about that because it was not being forthcoming about the situation,” he said. “That’s something that I don’t condone.”

In response to the incident, Holmes said that he implemented staff background checks and a policy prohibiting employees from bringing guns into the business. He also added a new camera system and fired the staff members involved in the incident.

Although Holmes assured the committee that there wasn’t an attempt to cover up the incident, some alderpersons were not convinced.

“It looks as if there’s a cover-up,” said Alderman Mark Chambers.  “That is a huge red flag for me.”

Chambers added that he’s had several conversations with Holmes and said he believes the bar owner “is a respectable proprietor in the 2nd district.”

“I welcome his business,” he said. “It’s just that there are things that are deemed unacceptable, and this is one of them.”

Chambers recommended a 20-day suspension for the bar, saying he hopes this serves as a wakeup call.

A handful of community members appeared at the hearing to testify in support of Eve Lounge.

“I’ve known Mr. Holmes for years and he’s always been a good pillar in the community and a great father,” one neighbor said. “So as far as I know about the incident, if he was there, I know he wouldn’t have let it escalate like that.”

The 20-day suspension went into effect Tuesday, July 11 and will continue through July 30.

Eve Lounge, opened in 2018, is connected to the Diamond Inn Motel.

The business is set to resume its regular operations starting July 31. Eve Lounge is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Holmes did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

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