Future of night club on councils agenda
Published 12:00 am Sunday, February 10, 2008
THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL
The future of D Night Spot may be in doubt.
The club is listed on the city council&8217;s business agenda, and its owner may have to defend his right at tonight&8217;s meeting to operate the establishment.
The club&8217;s reputation as a site for violence came up about two weeks ago during a council meeting, but officials tabled it. At that time, Councilwoman Jannie Venter of Ward 8, said the community would have to become involved to stop the violence in the area.
Venter, and others who spoke at the meeting, were referring to two incidents that have occurred in about three months.
On Thanksgiving night 2007, a Selma man was beaten to death outside the club. Five men were charged in the beating death of Charles DuBose and are awaiting trial. According to testimony during preliminary hearings, DuBose produced a handgun outside the club and fired. Witnesses questioned after the shooting said DuBose was beaten by the five men.
On Jan. 13, police were called to investigate a stabbing outside the club.
Eddie Mae Stewart is Doney Roy&8217;s wife. He owns the club, which is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.. The couple has lived on Maxey Street for nearly a decade, and have run the club for as long.
Roy was ill from the stress of dealing with the negativity and couldn&8217;t talk about the business, his wife said Sunday afternoon, adding that she has turned the issue over to a power higher than the city council.
Alicia Averhart, 36, lives three doors down from the club and
has known the couple all of her life.
Averhart said she remembered the Jan. 13 incident when Eddie Marzette died following a crash on Maxey Street between Water and Alabama
avenues. Police discovered Marzette had been stabbed in the leg and said he likely passed out before the crash.
Others, such as Jeanetta Brown, have pleaded with the city council to do something. Brown spoke during a recent council meeting and said she had lived in the area for about seven months. She complained about the club, but also about the lack of police patrols in the area.