Café Sgt. Peppers on Stratumseind in Eindhoven has to close for two weeks. Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem decided this after a violent incident. Owner Bram Merkelbach accepts the decision, but does not agree with it and has filed an objection.
On the night of March 21, things went wrong at the café, according to a letter that the municipality sent to the business. According to the police, a security guard used force against a visitor.
According to the letter, camera images show the man being carried outside unconscious and dragged along the ground. When the security guard let go, the man fell face first to the ground. He suffered a broken nose and possible concussion.
Mayor considers closure necessary
The mayor believes this is not possible. “Visitors must be able to go out safely,” Dijsselbloem writes in the letter. According to him, the situation in the entertainment street is not safe enough to keep the café open due to the incident. He sees it as a serious disruption of public order.
The fact that a security guard was involved is extra heavy for him. Security guards in particular must ensure that situations do not get out of hand, says Dijsselbloem. If a security guard uses violence himself, this can damage confidence in the safety of the entertainment area. The mayor emphasizes that the owner is responsible for security at the café.
Owner sees it differently
Merkelbach does not agree with the decision and has appealed. He says that things went differently than the municipality stated. According to him, the security guard and an employee stated that the visitor was taken outside without violence and then fell himself. “Both had no idea what caused the man to fall,” Merkelbach said.
He does acknowledge that the victim was injured. The security guard, who was hired through an external company, has now been replaced by another doorman at the door of the café.
Merkelbach is also critical of how the municipality has acted. According to him, letters were sent incorrectly and he was not given a chance to tell his side of the story. The municipality believes that intervention is necessary to restore order.
Disappointed during the World Cup
The closure applies for two weeks, until July 2. Merkelbach has considered appealing. “But that costs a lot of money and it involves a lot of hassle. I accept the decision, but I’m disappointed about it,” he says. With the World Cup in full swing, these are busy times for cafes on Stratumseind. “It makes a difference that most students have exam week. We are now closed for a while and after these two weeks we can hopefully see the end of the school year and the last period of the World Cup.”
The municipality has not yet responded to questions from Omroep Brabant.