Pump Bar

[IanMcDermid]

I'm just really relieved/grateful that the ABLE commission appears to be close to granting some clarification on the rules and I + other local businesses can engage with local law enforcement in a similar discussion in the days to come. I have the utmost respect for their ability to enforce the law, just so long as we can all easily interpret what the law is.

[Paseofreak]

Ian, I hope you have some expensive law dogs that figuratively rip the nuts off every public official that has their fingerprints on this infuriatingly stupid misuse of power. Hopefully they will be able to use every dirty trick in the book to derail careers, besmirch characters, and lay bare the gross malfeasance of those entrusted to expend public resources!

[ljbab728]

The Oklahoman and other news outlets need to report on this...there needs to be a major uproar.

You got your wish.

http://kfor.com/2016/06/24/alcohol-i...oklahoma-city/

[BBatesokc]

The arresting officer was Lt. Doug Kimberlin - he's a complete and utter D-bag. He's the Lt. of OKC Vice and apparently has cleaned up OKC and arrested all the pimps and child traffickers so now he has his sights set on bacon infused vodka.

This is 100% Lt. Kimberlin's style.

The law he is (mis)interpreting has been pretty much already discussed here. However, I'd also throw in my $.02 that this is a just a leftover law from the days when bottles in bars had tax stamps. It was to keep bars from emptying a top-shelf bottle of alcohol and then refilling it with an inferior product or watering down the existing product or bypassing the tax stamp requirements. It was also troublesome for busy bars because ABLE would also claim we couldn't 'marry' two bottles of the exact same alcohol to make space on our bar or speed rack, well, rail, etc.

I get that 'refilling' is/was/can be a problem. Back in the day, when I tended bar, I was in tending in the Ebony Club on Lincoln Blvd. when it was raided for not scratching the tax stamp and also refilling bottles with non-taxed and inferior product.

But this is a total waste of limited resources of a unit that has far more important crimes to be investigating.

Ticket the bar (over and over if need be), and let them fight it out in court to get a clarification.

No need to harass the establishment, harass the employees (I'm told they lined some up and took their photos) and certainly no need to put people in jail.

[Pete]

^

Yeah, there has to be something else at work here.

This seems way out of proportion and smacks of some sort of vendetta.

[Andon]

^

Yeah, there has to be something else at work here.

This seems way out of proportion and smacks of some sort of vendetta.

Believe me, if State agencies can waste time, money, and resources on ill-willed endeavors and personal vendettas, then they'll certainly find a way.

I should know.

[Pete]

Believe me, if State agencies can waste time, money, and resources on ill-willed endeavors and personal vendettas, then they'll certainly find a way.

I should know.

Haha... Yeah.

It's absurd how they sometimes set their priorities.

[PhiAlpha]

You got your wish.

http://kfor.com/2016/06/24/alcohol-i...oklahoma-city/

[PhiAlpha]

^

Yeah, there has to be something else at work here.

This seems way out of proportion and smacks of some sort of vendetta.

As I mentioned above, with all the bitching about noise from the neighborhood (which was well under the nussicance sound level that would warrant a citation), it wouldn't surprise me if neighbors in the Paseo had something to do with this. Couldn't get them on noise so find another way to harass them. Obviously that is just speculation, but this is just too asinine for the OKCPD to have just thought it up out of the blue and targeted The Pump specifically. S&B infuses all sorts of things in liquor in all of their restaurants throughout the metro as do many other restaurants...why was The Pump the only one targeted?

From the KFOR article:

It all started back in February, when police dropped by on karaoke night following several noise complaints.

They eventually asked to see the liquor storage area, where they found a cabinet for Taaka vodka bottles, with bits of jalapenos, beef, and bacon dropped into the liquid.

Why would it be necessary to investigate the liquor storage area when responding to a noise complaint?

[BBatesokc]

As I mentioned above, with all the bitching about noise from the neighborhood (which was well under the nussicance sound level that would warrant a citation), it wouldn't surprise me if neighbors in the Paseo had something to do with this. Couldn't get them on noise so find another way to harass them. Obviously that is just speculation, but this is just too asinine for the OKCPD to have just thought it up out of the blue and targeted The Pump specifically. S&B infuses all sorts of things in liquor in all of their restaurants throughout the metro as do many other restaurants...why was The Pump the only one targeted?

From the KFOR article:


Why would it be necessary to investigate the liquor storage area when responding to a noise complaint?

It's directly tied to the citizen complaints. They obviously have either some old Mrs Cravitz types living nearby or are being targeted by a competitor. I have copies of the police reports and these citations started as a response to noise complaints and 'illegal gambling' complaints (literally, bingo games).

When Lt. Kimberlin couldn't justify either complaint, he went nosing around for any obscure complaint he thought he could get away with. The only complaints of legitimate concern were the failure to post their licenses - they had the required licenses, they just were not at the ready.

[Pete]

It seems The Pump is a victim of its own massive popularity.

All these complainers are in for a shock when the Tower opens up as well as the two new bars. Tons more people and more action in that area. And more to come.

If you don't like noise and activity, you can always sell you house for a big profit to someone who would love to live down there.

[Anonymous.]

It seems The Pump is a victim of its own massive popularity.

All these complainers are in for a shock when the Tower opens up as well as the two new bars. Tons more people and more action in that area. And more to come.

If you don't like noise and activity, you can always sell you house for a big profit to someone who would love to live down there.

This. The property values have increased 40-50% in the last 6 years in this area for even non-renovated homes. The people complaining are trying to dip into both bottles.

[Uptowner]

The market is exploding. I'm half tempted to sell the house I bought last year. Either the pump gained too much notoriety or gained malcontent from some of the fuddy duddy neighbors who don't like the resurge in local activity. Which brings noise, cars, and people...my god they may even be using the private sidewalks! My conspiracy is they beat all the complaints on noise + a disturbing the peace I looked up. So the next step was to find the most petty and arbitrary thing to harass. Them with. Good to know that we're laying off teachers yet this Lt. Kimberlain earns $80,000 to arrest people over bacon bits in vodka.

[Tundra]

It seems The Pump is a victim of its own massive popularity.

All these complainers are in for a shock when the Tower opens up as well as the two new bars. Tons more people and more action in that area. And more to come.

If you don't like noise and activity, you can always sell you house for a big profit to someone who would love to live down there.

Being a good neighbor takes work from both sides... Business doesn't respect the homeowners that were there long before the property got hot... It was where they lived probably cause it was cheaper than most areas.. I see this as big business pushing the less fortunate out of an area so that more money and more Proffits can be made.

[Uptowner]

In our experience the pump has been a great neighbor. They raise money for paseo based charity and keep their area clean. Once a week or so I hear noises I wouldn't normally hear like a loud motorbike showing off or someone screaming "woo!" But I'm happy to live with them in my neighborhood. I'm happy to see life budding up. People walking down he streets who aren't thieves or druggies.

This is an old neighborhood and it is NOT designed like a suburb with mini malls on the corners of the section lines. When these house and business were built people either had one car or no car at all and that's why you see so many business nestled inside the thoroughfares like Walker or Linwood. 16th street. Etc.

Tundra, yes a lot of older people have lived in the hood for decades when the houses were next to free and all the business were either boarded up or art galleries that only open by appointment only or first Fridays . Some of them hate sauced, hate the pump, hate street parking, hate young people buying up homes. Some of them love it. And it's not all about property value. It's about living in a fun, kickass neighborhood. I'm not a "deal with is or get out" person but people didn't actually want all those business to be boarded up forever did they? And I for one do not want them all to be signature loans, pawn shops, pizza and fried chicken.

Food for thought: the biggest pump hater in the immediate area (the one who dragged a local network news crew out to cover karaoke and has what seems to have a trigger finger for dialing 911 for anything she sees annoying) owns the biggest/nicest/most expensive 2 story home and only moved in just last August. That home is about 4 times the size of the pump so I don't know what this "big business" BS is all about.

[pickles]

Being a good neighbor takes work from both sides... Business doesn't respect the homeowners that were there long before the property got hot... It was where they lived probably cause it was cheaper than most areas.. I see this as big business pushing the less fortunate out of an area so that more money and more Proffits can be made.

That's life. We live in the most highly mobile society the world has ever seen. The last sentence is a very provincial view. The Pump and other area developments are literally making money for the property owners surrounding them.

[Uptowner]

They're pushing drug dealers, thieves, pimps, prostitutes and squatters out of the area. Just look at what Ben sellers has done to the two multi-plexes on robinson across from the Blue Note. That used to be one of the worst corners in town. We're talking assault, battery, rape, public intox ranging from booze to crack cocaine. I used to sit on a friends porch and treat it as entertainment until we deemed it was out of control and called the cops. This was every weekend sans snow & ice.

[PhiAlpha]

Being a good neighbor takes work from both sides... Business doesn't respect the homeowners that were there long before the property got hot... It was where they lived probably cause it was cheaper than most areas.. I see this as big business pushing the less fortunate out of an area so that more money and more Proffits can be made.

I sometimes wonder if your posts are serious.

[BBatesokc]

...Good to know that we're laying off teachers yet this Lt. Kimberlain earns $80,000 to arrest people over bacon bits in vodka.

I was corrected by a police officer I know. More like $105,000 (with his overtime) for this particular Vice Lt. Money well spent I'm sure.

[Goon]

I sometimes wonder if your posts are serious.

I was going to ask the same thing.

Surely this is Pete's troll handle...right?

[Pete]

I was going to ask the same thing.

Surely this is Pete's troll handle...right?

Haha... Nope.

[sixkiller]

Not trying to tell too many tales out of school, but some neighbors with complaints just moved to the neighborhood. Let's not pin it exclusively on old timers. Some people are just sour and control freaks by nature.

[BBatesokc]

This is my take on the situation....

Apparently There are No More Pimps & Child Sex Traffickers in OKC - Because OKC Vice Lt. Doug Kimberlin Has Set His Sights on Bacon Infused Vodka.

[David]

Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission examines infused drink rule after bar manager's arrest | NewsOK

[BBatesokc]

Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission examines infused drink rule after bar manager's arrest | NewsOK

Love how the Oklahoma's article basically ignored the actual issue (beyond the pettiness of the entire incident). I don't believe the issue was really wether or not bars could serve infused drinks - they can and always could. The issue was the container in which the alcohol was infused. Yes, the Oklahoman has one line addressing a clarification - "provided the infused beverages are infused and dispensed in food-safe containers, not in tax-paid alcoholic beverage containers.” - but its that clarification that was the law before this incident and will apparently continue to be the law after this incident.... They wrote an entire article that did absolutely nothing to clarify what happened and is going to 'change' (though, not really change) going forward. Way to go Oklahoman!