2009-08-27 News

LC Watch

by Jacob Shafer

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August 27, 2009
Back on track

We were beginning to get worried. After opening the year with an impressive streak of 11 consecutive minor decoy cases, the Adjudication Board has been pretty quiet on the getting-kids-to-buy-booze front. In fact, since April (spanning three meetings; they took May off) the board hasn't heard a single minor decoy case.

Ask and ye shall receive. The agenda for the September 3 Adjudication meeting features two minor decoy complaints, against the Shell station in Paia (a town where we've been getting increased reports of LC presence) and Pacific Fish Market in Lahaina. Since both are pleading no contest, that automatically means two more successful busts.

(To be fair: there are also three counts of over-serving on the September docket—all stemming from the same incident—against Lulu's in Lahaina.)

Tacking on those two new minor decoy cases, even with their spring and early summer slump the LC could still match or surpass its record-breaking 2008 total of 21 stings, which nearly doubled the previous year's count.

Naturally, this increasing zealousness won't sit well with establishments who find themselves on the wrong end of the stings, or those who think the whole notion of minor decoy stings is a waste of resources and borders on outright entrapment.

But if there's one lesson we've learned on this beat, it's don't count on things changing any time soon.

– Jacob Shafer

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LC WATCH
August 29, 2009 | 08:36 AM

This column is getting as lame as the LC itself!

Buggy
August 29, 2009 | 05:42 PM

"This column is getting as lame as the LC itself!"

Not really. Forewarned is forearmed.

Mike
Lulu's asking for it
August 29, 2009 | 06:22 PM

Come on face the facts...You open a nightclub all by itself in a shopping center and the only place open at night is you and safeways...your asking for trouble. The shopping center parking lot is full at 12:00am. Do you think it's all late night grocery shoppers? No, its clubbers that have drove. Do you think the bartenders are only going to serve 2 drinks to each person and cut them off? No, thats not reality. It only takes 2 drinks to put you in the danger zone of the LC and thats only if the people haven't just finished a 6 pack at home or in their car in the parking lot and you can't know that when they just walked in your place and the alcohol hasn't taken its full effects. I knew it wasn't IF Lulus was going to get popped, it was just a matter of time. Bottom line is you can't operate a nightclub/bar on Maui. Doesn't matter how good you are as the owner/manager. You are at the mercy of each and every employee and the allmight y TIP. The LC IS GOD of MAUI NIGHTLIFE. With the LC holding the owner/manager/bartender/server accountable for each and every persons that walks in the door and the "partaking" at home or the joint down the street just a few minutes ago, You don't stand a chance in the long run. They just sit and wait for that one that got by you and the next thing you know, you lose your investment,livelihood,job,employees jobs. But hey, who cares right? Theirs another sucker around the corner who just moved here and will go and pay the fees and open up another place right? Good luck

MB Kihei

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