'Save Black Brunch' Protesters Barred From Liquor License Hearing

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Hoards of people determined to save a Brooklyn eatery from what they say are racially-motivated complaints were turned away from a State Liquor Authority hearing on whether the brunch spot should keep its liquor license.

Activist groups hoped to testify in support of Woodland, a Caribbean brunch spot on Flatbush Avenue and Sixth Avenue that has long rankled neighbors who say its belligerently drunk patrons wreak havoc in the neighborhood, but were barred from the hearing room, a spokesperson

"They weren't letting people into the hearing, which was kind of interesting considering that it was an open meeting," said The Black Institute representative Tom Musich.

"Woodland is a welcoming environment where black and brown people are comfortable," he added. "Accusations being made are being blown out of proportion."

While news outlets previously reported the hearing would decide whether owner group Prime Six Inc. could serve alcohol on Woodland's premises, SLA spokesperson William Crowley told Patch, "There was never going to be a decision today."

The hearing comes after the SLA board voted to suspend Woodland's liquor license on June 6 after excessive noise, fire hazards and code violation charges were issued against the business in March, May and earlier in June.

On Wednesday, prosecutors wrapped up their 11-count case — including charges of operating a disorderly premise, becoming a focal point for police attention and turning over business operations to undisclosed persons — and only people with relevant testimony were asked into the small hearing room, according to Crowley.

Since Woodland owners pleaded not guilty, another hearing will be held on Aug. 20 during which they can call witnesses, the SLA spokesperson said. The administrators hearing the case will then issue a report for the SLA's three-member board to rule on at a later date.

Those board meetings are held every two weeks, open to the public and broadcast live on the web, but smaller hearings, such as the Woodland one Wednesday, are not.

The Woodland brunch battle first started in 2018 when Community Board 6 residents began registering complaints — which detailed loud noises, huge crowds, drunk driving and patrons urinating and vomiting in the street — which they then repeated at an initial SLA hearing in March.

SLA inspectors and police who investigated those claims earlier this summer found fireworks, compressed gas, blocked emergency exits and other violations and temporarily suspended the liquor license, officials said.

But more than 2,770 people who had signed an online petition to save Woodland's liquor license as of Wednesday afternoon argue the complaints are reflective not of the patrons' behavior, but racial prejudice in the neighborhood.

"It goes to show that to this day......racism is alive and well in the US," wrote petition signer Robert Hernandez. "Especially with White, Yuppified Park Slope!"

These concerns of racial prejudice were why activists from The Black Institute, Black Lives Matter, National Action Network and patrons organized a rally the day of the hearing. The advocates wanted to show their support for the business they believe is being targeted because of its clientele.

“The SLA, NYPD, and the City of New York are using extreme enforcement actions to close down black and brown restaurants, but we’re fighting back," said Bertha Lewis, Founder and President of The Black Institute.

"The accusations being made against Woodland are blown out of proportion and are just another example of racial targeting by the city and state."