Alderman calls for revocation of The Dime's liquor license after deadly Lincoln Park shooting

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Alderman Timmy Knudsen is calling on the city to revoke the liquor license of The Dime, a Lincoln Park bar that was ordered closed by the Chicago police superintendent following a deadly shooting outside the establishment last week.

The call for action comes as the ABC7 I-Team also uncovered numerous complaints and multiple incidents of gun violence at the bar.

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Knudsen said he is concerned about public complaints and multiple shootings near the bar, which is now shut down.

The shooting less than a week ago left 30-year-old Malik McCorkle dead. Police said the gunman remains at large.

"There's a clear pattern of guns coming out of this bar, going into this bar and the guns being used," Knudsen said.

RELATED | CPD shuts down Lincoln Park bar after deadly shooting, alderman says; video shows altercation

In a letter sent Friday to the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the city's liquor commissioner, Knudsen formally requested that The Dime's liquor license be revoked. The letter cites multiple calls to Chicago police involving shootings and weapons in and around the bar over the past two years.

According to records obtained by the I-Team through a public records request, at least 14 complaints have been filed over the past six years alleging narcotics and drugs being sold at the bar, overcrowding and large unruly parties spilling into the street.

"We've talked to employees on the Lincoln Avenue stretch that feel unsafe working at night because of this bar and how the spillover was really going into the street with parties in the street, and of course, any gunshot offense is very scary to someone who's walking at night," Knudsen said.

One complaint resulted in The Dime entering into an abatement plan with the city. The plan required surveillance cameras, at least three security guards on the premises, restrictions on outside promoters running events and reporting of criminal activity, among other measures.

Knudsen said those efforts did not improve conditions.

"The abatement plan formally went into place in March, and we had two shooting incidents within the next three and a half months, that shows that the abatement plan meant nothing at all," he said.

RELATED | Man arrested in Lincoln Park shooting outside bar, Chicago police say

The owners of The Dime did not respond to requests for comment from the I-Team. However, after last week's fatal shooting, the bar issued a statement that said, in part, "The Dime has consistently taken the safety of its patrons, employees, and neighbors seriously ... we will have no further comment at this time."

Separately, a man was charged this week with attempted murder in connection with a shooting near The Dime that injured a 39-year-old woman in June.

Knudsen told the I-Team that if The Dime's liquor license is revoked, the business would either have to remain closed or work with his office on a stringent safety plan in order to regain the license.

A man has been arrested for a Lincoln Park shooting that left a woman critically injured outside of a bar last month.