A Resident’s Perspective, Downtown Safe, Tiago’s A Problem

Development and Zoning, Law Enforcement, News and Events37 Comments

Doug Davidoff, an active member of the Downtown scene, shares his perspective as a neighborhood resident originally posted in the OIB comments section. He writes Downtown is active and safe. One problem area, however, is Tiago’s Bar and Grill, owned by Deputy Director of Public Works Joe Tiago. Davidoff also shares a recent video that captures activity outside the bar. From Davidoff:

Downtown in the evening is surprisingly alive in many parts. Fairfield Avenue is alive. State Street is alive. Main Street is alive. Bank Street is alive. Broad Street is alive, above and below the steps. Water Street is alive. Even the first block of Main Street north of Fairfield is coming alive. The trend is to aliveness.

– Chief A.J. Perez is correct in saying that Downtown Bridgeport is very safe. Truly, it is. Bridgeport Police patrols are frequent. Moreover, a growing level of 24/7 legitimate and legal activity contributes to safety. There is no pattern of danger. Truly, the horrible crime of murder appears to be isolated. I’d walk on McLevy Green again any time. But A.J.’s comments ignore the problem of Tiago’s, owned by one of his colleagues in senior management of city government. A.J. needs to be real and specific about the problem at Tiago’s Bar and Grill, on State Street across from McLevy Green. (More on this below.) Downtown is safe. But not all of downtown is safe; Tiago’s is often the locus of out-of-control behavior requiring attention from multiple police patrol units.

– Downtown is dangerous only to the people who cling to fear that it’s dangerous. Fact is: My security is better than your security. Fact is: Visitors to downtown stroll about in safety. Fact is: If you’re anxious about being in danger, you’re going to feel in danger.

– Returning to Tiago’s, I urge OIB readers to read comments I wrote in response to the original post about the murder, including a video of a typical brawl police have to break up at closing time. The video was taken five nights before the murder. My earlier comments are found at:

onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/man-shot-dead-downtown/#comment-126424

The video of a typical night of disturbances at Tiago’s, taken five nights earlier, is found at:
youtu.be/AJ70GNvwyms

A map showing major residential and office areas in the vicinity of Tiago’s is also available at:
www.evernote.com/shard/s17/sh/7e427672-a145-4957-a353-94f8af0fbd5d/f7b7a77ff82a21e8

Tiago’s is the locus of brawls and routinely an awful drain on police resources. This should stop; our city budget cannot afford it. Moreover, crowd control should be handled by the establishment, not by the publicly funded police. In terms of downtown safety, I wouldn’t stay away from downtown. But I recommend giving Tiago’s a wide berth, especially after midnight.

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37 comments

  1. Doug, Thank you for taking the time to put yourself at risk recording this. I saw an unacceptable amount of police. I did not see them breaking up any crowds. I did not hear any people screaming and running in fear. I saw a typical night at a popular bar after last call with people hanging out hoping to get laid. :-). With the number of police cars there I am surprised the crowd didn’t disperse.

    Now, I am not diminishing Dougs video or his concerns. Everyone has known about Tiago since Finch hired him. He is still working for the city because he is going to be related to Mario. Shocking? Not really. I am curious as to what the Police were doing there? So many in the safeest part of the city. Why were they not patrolling the North End?

    Doug, Tiago’s is a success for downtown. It brings people downtown. It is one of the few that can claim success. It is a Bar. What would you expect from a bar on party nights. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

    Again, to be clear , I am not defending this behavior or the beefed up cops downtown, one of the safest areas of the city. I do believe this should be Tiago’s responsibility to pay for bouncers if there are issues.

    Why should Doug have to take a video at 1:45 am. Why is the DSSD not listening to the complaint and taking action.

    I also wonder if as a resident of downtown, have you ever been part of the party at Tiago’s or a casual observer?

    Does Brewport also need this police protection on a Friday and Saturday night?

    Is there a police log explaining why the police were at Tiago’s?

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  2. A way to combat situation like these, wherever the bars are located. It’s very common and always was. let the bars have last call at 1:45 and stay open until 3:00. By 2:30 80% of the crowd would be gone will disperse on its own without everyone get kicked out all at the same time. By time 3:00 come most if not all the patrons would have left. “crowd control egress”

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  3. Robert Teixeira that was the dumbest post you’ve ever shared. Like patrons drinking until 1:45 will have the judgement to disperse on their own and go home. You just gave stupid a new meaning!!!

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    1. Lisa – I am going to defend Robert a little here. I think what he is saying is space out the time between last call and actual close. People will linger , but they would be in the bar socializing longer. its been a a while since I have done the club thing. But I think last call now is close to closing time. having them officially leave so close to last call at 2 leads to the on street lingering and crowds on the sidewalk. In some way – i think Robert is suggesting longer lead time between last call and official close of the bar. Some may move on to the diner, dance longer whatever. No solution is perfect since the crowd can be unrly at any hour, but just a different viewpoint on Robert’s suggestion

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    2. You stop the bar the music turn on all the lights after awhile the people will file out on their own. You think they are just going to hang out set up camp. Most head for the dinner.

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  4. I want to reply to my friend Steve. I’ve tried to be careful in my description of Tiago. I like the establishment. It’s a quality property with a good music calendar and a fine design. It’s admirable. I have not enjoyed an evening there, but I have often wished to do so, Still, something happens late at night all too often. The crowd gets loud and then unruly. It spills into the street, sometimes blocking traffic. The police come. And we get what you see here, It’s a werewolf situation. A fine establishment turns untenable. And last week, for some reason (and a reason it stands to reason Tiago did not anticipate), the scene turned murderous. It’s a riddle, but a costly riddle for the taxpayers,

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  5. Tiago is one of the scared few and can do what he ants to do. This guy is now where is belongs in public facilities with the rest of the schemers. Hey Ricci get off your ass and come up here to the 138th and tll me why the roads are so fucked up.
    Now back to Tiagos and other bars in the city. When was the last time a bartender or bar owner was arrested for over serving a customer/ I know there is a law here in CT about that I just cant remember the names of .
    This is nothing new and will continue,

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    1. Ditto to that, two residents of the 132nd called Ricci to report an unusual situation with the street in front of their properties, more than once, no response. No surprise to me, these property owners bring nothing to his ass-kissing self except the expectation of receiving a service that their high taxes pay for. I suggested they call their council representative, maybe he’ll respond to one of them, that is if he can drag himself from Testo’s.

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    1. A. That’s misogynist.

      B. There’s no if when it comes to a woman wanting to get laid. They made that decision when the put on their good panties and matching bra or boxers, If they put on any panties at all and go commando, They own that. There’s a Big IF to them, if they are going to have and orgasm. A woman saying she’s wonder if she is going to get laid is like a man saying he’s wonder if I’m going to be able to masturbate.

      C. This isn’t Cinderella http://www.cc.com/video-clips/643q2f/comedy-central-presents-i-gotta-dance

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      1. Completely inappropriate talk, stick to the issue, Tiago’s not doing the downtown efforts justice by allowed and probably encouraging rowdy behavior. The other businesses will suffer if this continues.

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          1. Jesus Christ. LOL People see what they want to see. How you interpreted it demeaning to women and not to men, baffles me. Is Tiago is it a all male club, do women count a hooligans, or is it a racial term?

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  7. Wow,just watching that vid,you have to believe it’s only a matter of time before there is a serious incident at Tiagos]…and if Tiago pulls the trigger and marries Mario’s niece,you have to think Mario will name him chief of staff..

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  8. Would it be piling on to note that at this very moment, the noise and at least one BPD patrol car are back at you-know-where? Which of OIB’s readers might volunteer to foot the bill for tonight’s activities via an earmark on their property or excise taxes? And shall we be grateful that tonight’s police presence is — so far — a fraction of the size of previous nights’ presences?

    (He answers his own question.) Um, yes, it’s piling on. I won’t do it again. This promise is — as Tip O’Neill once described legislation in Congress — “permanent,” but “not eternal.” Good night, OIB.

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  9. Why is the City taken off the hook for their evacuation of McLevy Hall, one of the City,s architectural historic focal points, now for some time contributing to the bank of rotting city-owned vacant hulks in Downtown created by its own incompetence and stupidity?
    Such stretches of desolation are the main reason for lack of foot traffic Downtown that caused Tiago to go ghetto with his business

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    1. I do not think Tiago’s is going ghetto. We were there after the Cabaret one evening. Always a good time. Even if they do not make Pina Colada’s .

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  12. Don you know the answer to you own question. There is a new money source out there, its coming from the black community. Many, many events held today are for the young black adults of today. The problem is these events target a certain gangster element and guns and shooting start. Here are just a few examples, Schwabin Hall, Tiagos, charmed and there are more. The shame of this whole thing is the young black up and comers cant get away from trouble

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  15. I understand that yesterday, Saturday, 4/22, at about 7PM, about 100 young people/teenagers on bicycles, illegal dirt bikes, and illegal atv’s “invaded” the downtown and illegally rode down Main Street COMPLETELY BLOCKING TRAFFIC in a manner clearly intended to intimidate the general public… Didn’t they hear about the anti-litter campaign?! I’ll bet that all of the restaurant patrons observing/affected by this “Dodge City” behavior were impressed… This is the type of show that will draw patrons from Fairfield and Westport, and the suburbs. Right?

    Oh yeah! We have a plan! Bridgeport’s comin’ back (to the late-80’s/ear/y-90’s…).

    Clean and Green!!! (But no money, no jobs… No opportunity… — Oh, I forgot Bass Pro and Chipotle…)

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  16. I see Andy, so ghetto is associated with black people, not Latino nor white just blacks? I think I can safely assume that neither you nor Bob have been to Tiago’s on a Wednesday night to see what kind of people are going there, ghetto or otherwise. I can assure you that Latinos and whites are at Tiago’s on a Wednesday night.

    Andy you say I know the answer to my question, but what I do know is that it’s impossible to look at a Black person and tell whether they are ghetto or otherwise. What I did know is that I’ve been to Tiago’s on a Wednesday night and I am anything other than ghetto or are you saying that all black people are ghetto? Characterizations and stereotypes are all that you alluded to.

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    1. You know you are playing with words like you usually do. You know fucking right well I was talking about affairs that are sponsored and run by black social groups. You don’t like the truth tough. Go to these affair’s I will not tell you where I have been and see for yourself. Everyone of these affairs have had shootings. Why???

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  18. Don. I was using the term for what has become an industry that promotes violence, obscenity and guns. Unfortunately a lucrative industry for some that permeates our youth. Yes OUR youth. Not a good thing no insults meant for upstanding people like yourself.

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