Bar in Buena Clinton May Lose License If Dope, Crime Allegations Are Proved

Garden Grove police and city officials are closing in on the Sin Not bar, which they allege is a “focal point” for much of the drug, prostitution and violent crime problems that plague Buena Clinton, the impoverished neighborhood that is considered Orange County’s worst slum.

At a zoning hearing Wednesday called to determine if the bar’s operating permit should be revoked, a succession of police officers testified about the high incidence of police calls and crimes at the bar and in its parking lot. Zoning Administrator John Graichen will decide on the revocation within 30 days.

“It was like a gathering point where people would come to buy drugs and, in some cases, use drugs,” said Lt. John Robertson, who was in charge of police operations in Buena Clinton until a recent reassignment. “It was also a center for a lot of violence. There are a lot of fights there, many of them probably related to the drug and alcohol abuse.”

Crime Problem Acknowledged

Ezra Joseph, owner of the bar at Westminster Avenue and Buena Street, acknowledged that there were crime problems, but said that they were the result of conditions at Buena Clinton. Many of the drug sales and other incidents occur in the parking lot where he has little control over them, Joseph said.

“There has been an increase in calls to the Police Department,” he said. “We try to call whenever we have a drug, alcohol or loitering problem and we posted a ‘no loitering’ sign some time ago.” He said parking lot lights have been installed, and locks have been placed on the rest rooms, where police say drug deals occur.

Lt. Ken Adair testified that he thought crime in the area would drop sharply if the bar is shut down. “We’ve got people coming in from as far as San Bernardino to buy drugs at the Sin Not bar. I’d say we have a major problem there.”

No Crime Wave

He agreed with Joseph that the problems have intensified in the past few years at the bar, but said it was not because of any crime wave in the area. “I feel it’s because he (Joseph) doesn’t take any interest or spend any time there himself,” he said.

Adair and other officers met with Joseph in July, 1984, and seven conditions were agreed upon, which included Joseph spending at least 20 hours a week at the bar, employing security guards for the parking lot and calling and assisting the Police Department with any crimes. Joseph said Wednesday that he has not spent the required time at the bar but added he had complied with the other conditions.

Officer William Willis said a check of police records since six officers were assigned full time to Buena-Clinton in January, 1982, showed 537 calls for service at the Sin Not or in the parking lot. In comparison, a bar across the street logged 351 calls in the same period and a bar three blocks away had 137 calls.

Arrests for Heroin Sales

The incidents included numerous arrests for heroin sales, some of which occurred inside the bar. One suspect, said Willis, told undercover officers they could find him at the bar if they needed more heroin.

Willis recalled that on one occasion when he was working under cover and tried to buy some cocaine, another man called out “coca, coca, coca” in the parking lot until someone came forward to consummate the transaction.

Officers testified that since January, 1982, there have been 10 arrests at the Sin Not for “crimes against persons,” including several stabbings; a shooting incident in which a gunman fired at least seven times inside the bar, wounding several people, and a rape in which a barmaid was attacked by three men who held her captive in the locked bar for more than three hours.

Joseph’s attorney, Jerome Stark, argued that much of the police testimony was “speculation and conjecture” and said that Willis’ statistics showed that the police calls decrease at bars further away from the area. “The issue is: ‘Is it because the bar is there or is it the neighborhood?’ ” he said. “I don’t have any idea how to solve (the Buena-Clinton crime problem). But I don’t think closing down this bar will do it.”

If Graichen decides to revoke the bar’s operating permit, Joseph is entitled to appeal to the City Council.