FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
LIC strip club with troubled history loses liquor license & closes
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
A strip club in Long Island City that was
described by nearby residents as “dangerous”
and “ominous” had its liquor license
revoked earlier last week and has offi cially
shut down, the Daily News fi rst reported.
Aces, located at 31-10 37th Ave., was
the scene of a shooting in May 2016.
Th at some month, about a dozen residents
who live near the club attended a
Community Board 1 meeting to ask that
the board take steps to shut it down.
James Woods, who lives on 32nd Street
between 37th and 38th avenues, said at
the May 2016 meeting that four to six
NYPD cars are parked at every intersection
surrounding the club from 2 a.m. to
4 a.m. every night. He said patrons stop in
front of his building to urinate or vomit
on the sidewalk before going into their
cars to “do drugs or have sex.”
Deputy Inspector Peter Fortune, the
commanding offi cer of the 114th Precinct,
assured residents that the NYPD would
“do what we can to keep the place safe.”
Th e club, which was formerly called
System, opened under the new name in
January 2016. According to state Senator
Michael Gianaris, 252 “911” calls were
placed in 2016 alone to report issues and
criminal activity occurring at the club.
Aces also failed to display its license
and employed unlicensed security guards
among other violations. Th e nightclub
was shut down several times but community
leaders and police were never able
to convince the State Liquor Authority
(SLA) to revoke their liquor license until
March 2017.
Th e SLA revoked the club’s license on
March 9 aft er Gianaris wrote a letter outlining
how Aces contributed to quality
of-life issues in the area. But a state
judge granted a stay on the same day,
allowing the club to keep its license.
Gianaris held a press conference in
front of Aces one week later with community
leaders and the 114th Precinct to
“encourage” the court to follow the SLA’s
recommendations.
According to SLA records, Aces was
fi ned $11,500 in November 2013 by the
SLA for failing to keep up with fi re and
building codes and for selling alcohol past
4 a.m. An inspection in 2016 found that
the club had altered its interior without
notifying the SLA including adding a DJ
booth and an additional bar.
Th e SLA offi cially revoked the club’s
liquor license on Aug. 31 and the cancellation
took eff ect on Sept. 12, a spokesperson
for the SLA said.
“It is a success for our neighborhood
to get this source of community unrest
shut down, but we must remain vigilant,”
Gianaris said in a statement. “I will continue
making sure our streets are safe, and
our neighbors live in a community with a
robust quality of life.”
Th e club posted a thank you note to
staff and patrons on its Instagram page
on Sept. 15.
But in subsequent posts, the club
seemed to hint at a comeback.
“A few emotional words for my aces
#family @acesnewyork to all those who
supported us we love you,” a caption to
an Instagram video read. “#acesnewyork
we will be back soon!!”
On Sept. 16, a famous scene from
the movie “Wolf of Wall Street” where
Leonardo DiCaprio’s character tells his
staff , “I’m not f—–g leaving” was posted
with the caption “meeting went well today
#preshift @acesnewyork management
be like #imnotf—–gleaving#werenotf—–
gleaving it’s gonna take a #wreckingball
to get us out!!”
Phone calls to the club went unanswered.
Photo courtesy of Aces New York
Aces, a strip club in Long Island City, lost its liquor license and closed last week.
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