www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Crime scarring cool downtown club scenePolice and club owners are working to find ways to deter violence in the fledgling downtown nightclub district known as Park West.
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com

ALEXIA FODERE/FOR THE MIAMI HERALD
PARTY SCENE: Clubgoers roam the streets on Friday in the Park West Entertainment District between Northeast First and Second avenues.
More photos
Map | Entertainment District
It was designed to be downtown Miami's new hot spot: flashing neon lights, around-the-clock clubs. The Park West Entertainment District, city leaders hoped, would make downtown a popular destination for nightclubbers seeking an alternative to South Beach.

It became just that. But the area west of Biscayne Boulevard, east of Overtown and south of the Interstate 395 overpass has recently seen a half-dozen violent crimes, including downtown's only two murders this year, that have the city, club owners and police concerned.

The violence hasn't deterred partygoers, and problems at nightclubs are nothing new to South Florida. In May, a popular bouncer was killed outside Mansion, a South Beach club, when he tried to break up a fight.

But Miami police say they're frustrated with the Park West developments, especially as the nearby $412 million Carnival Center for the Performing Arts prepares to open its doors Oct. 5.

''It's been bad,'' said Miami police Cmdr. William Alvarez, who oversees Park West. ``It's causing a lot of problems for the area and straining our law enforcement resources.''

The violence began over Memorial Day weekend when shots rang out inside Club Metropolis, 950 NE Second Ave. Two men were wounded. And as more than 1,000 clubgoers scurried to the door, Roger Hall, 22, was stabbed to death inside.

Police charged a local man with the shooting, but never made an arrest in the stabbing death. They suspect the incident was gang related.

Two weekends later, a parking attendant at Metropolis was killed in a hit-and-run. The driver of the car was never found.

Then, on July 30, another shooting: This one wounded five patrons of Club Life, at 90 NE 11th St. Roy Chester McFadden, 26, was arrested on five counts of attempted murder. Police believe he was fighting with his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend at the club.

Police convened a meeting of club owners and local officials to discuss security concerns. But on Aug. 4, two more shootings took place a few blocks from Club Metropolis, one resulting in a death. And a few weeks later, one Metropolis patron attacked another with a machete outside the club. No one was seriously injured.

The problems in Park West mirror a wave of violence that has swept through Miami-Dade County this year. To date, at least 169 people have been murdered -- roughly 45 percent more than the number of homicides at this point last year, according to the medical examiner.

Alvarez notes that Park West has transformed an area once considered a much more dangerous place. A decade ago, the neighborhood was plagued by homelessness and was a well-known haven for drug dealers.

So in 2001, city commissioners took action: They zoned a 24-hour nightclub district for the area. By providing incentives to investors, they hoped to see the neighborhood's dingy warehouses transformed into hip, South Beach-style nightclubs.

On hand to turn vision into reality was Miami's Community Redevelopment Agency. In 2004, the CRA spent more than $850,000 to repave and landscape the area, and to help club owners update their plumbing systems, interim director James Villacorta said.

FEELING THE STRAIN

Today, the district boasts seven nightclubs. Park West has become a popular destination for locals; traffic there is snarled every Friday and Saturday night. But even clubs that haven't had problems are feeling the strain.

''It's disheartening,'' said Denise Grant, a publicist for Nocturnal Miami, a year-old club that caters to an upscale crowd. She says the club's intended clientele has been reluctant to come out.

Shawn Shahnazi, who owns Club Life, has a stronger opinion.

''This place is a hellhole,'' said Shahnazi, the day after vandals defaced his club. ``The city should have thought about that before issuing permits and getting investors here.''

Last month, Metropolis responded by saying the incidents were ``not indicative of the atmosphere and environment normally associated with the club.''

In recent weeks, police have raided at least three Park West clubs, making arrests for und***ge drinking and marijuana and Ecstasy possession, Alvarez said.

Club raids are hardly new to South Florida, but Alvarez wants Park West visitors to be aware of the police presence.

MORE POLICE

Police also have detached three off-duty officers and a sergeant to patrol the neighborhood, at a fee to club owners. A lieutenant was recently assigned to oversee them.


The clubs, too, are increasing security. Club Life has upped the number of security guards to one for every 25 patrons, Shahnazi said. Nocturnal has taken similar precautions.

Representatives from the five other nightclubs did not return calls for comment.

Alvarez is urging all clubs to install metal detectors at the doors. He is sure that measures like these, when coupled with the police presence, will make Park West a safer place to party.

City Commissioner Tomás Regalado is somewhat more skeptical.

''I still think that the district can survive,'' Regalado said, ``but the city and the owners need to get together and clean up their act. If another major crime happens, that area will be branded as a trouble spot. And it's hard to escape that.''