About 100 supporters of a popular blues establishment in Bessemer packed a city council meeting in an effort to persuade city officials to allow the club to remain open.
Many in the audience Tuesday night spoke in support of Gip's Place and its proprietor, Henry "Gip" Gipson.
Bessemer police shut down the club last week. Authorities say it's not properly zoned and has been operating illegally.
Al.com reports (http://bit.ly/18VUAYo) that after the speakers finished, Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley questioned whether anyone there would tolerate a venue like Gip's Place in their own backyards.
Gulley said that, no matter what the supporters at the meeting had said, the council had not heard Tuesday night from neighbors who complain about their driveways being blocked and patrons littering and urinating in their yards.
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Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews