Columbus officials have acknowledged a local nightclub’s long history of violent altercations, and they say they are committed to doing something about it.
Police chief Tony Carleton said on Monday his department was compiling crime data on Club Heidi Ho, located at 106 22nd St. South, in the wake of a New Year’s shooting that left a Columbus man dead. With that data — which will include the number and nature of calls to which officers have responded to during the past year — the department will decide whether to pursue tougher ordinance restrictions on private clubs, according to Carleton.
On New Year’s Day, police arrested 30-year-old Billy Lee Kennedy of Columbus, who was working at Club Heidi Ho as a disc jockey, for allegedly shooting and killing 32-year-old Timothy Barker. Police say Kennedy opened fire inside the club while it was operating and patrons were present. Barker later died at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. Kennedy is being held without bond on a murder charge in Lowndes County Adult Detention Facility.
Less than a month before, on Dec. 3, police arrested 24-year-old Travon Roby after he allegedly assaulted three CPD officers responding to a disturbance at the club.
‘A lot of calls’
“Certainly, we have a lot of calls out there,” Carleton said. “Usually, it’s a fight. Sometimes there are gunshots, and of course, this most recent time it was a murder. It’s not our idea to be ‘Big Brother’ to everyone, but if you can’t control what happens on your property and people are dying, we have to take steps to be more involved.”
In the meantime, Carleton said police officers would be more proactive with enforcing existing laws at Club Heidi Ho. Specifically, he said CPD and other city departments were ensuring all club operations met city code. Carleton said the police and fire departments would collaborate to check if the club exceeds its 250-person capacity during operating hours, and police officers would begin setting up driver’s license checkpoints in the club’s vicinity.
But Carleton does not believe Club Heidi Ho should be deemed a “nuisance” and shut down yet — a process he said involves the city filing a complaint against the club in circuit court. In fact, Carleton said he’d like to see club owner Larry Golden work with law enforcement to make Club Heidi Ho a “reputable business.”
Carleton said he had already approached Golden several times before New Year’s Day and suggested changes that would make his establishment safer — beefing up club security, installing metal detectors and implementing a drink limit for customers. Carleton hopes the latest shooting incident will push Golden further toward those suggestions.
‘Something’s got to change’
“I’ve spoken with Mr. Golden in his club on nights when it’s been open, and I’ve told him several times, ‘Something’s got to change,'” Carleton said. “It’s not like this was a new concern that arose from this murder…anytime it’s better for an organization to work with us to have a reputable establishment. We’re not trying to hurt anyone’s business, and we encourage (Club Heidi Ho) to try to stay open.”
The Dispatch could not reach Golden for comment Monday.
Tony Clark, who owns the Club Heidi Ho building and leases it to Golden, said he is troubled with the negative publicity his property has received in the wake of the New Year’s shooting. Clark’s business, Wildcat Properties LLC, has owned the building at 106 22nd St. South since 2009, and he said he has leased it to Golden since at least 2012. Now, he said he might somehow address the violence at Club Heidi Ho himself.
‘It’s bad for everyone’
“I don’t know exactly what we’ll do, whether we’re going to try to sit down with him or if we’re going to try to get him out,” Clark said. “Surely, we can get him out, but we may have to go to court to do it. It’s bad for everyone when something like that (the New Year’s Day shooting) happens, no matter who owns the building.”
The city council last summer approved stricter guidelines for citizens who rented space for private events where alcohol is sold and at least 100 people attend, after Carleton said a facility commonly rented for such events at the Lowndes County Fairgrounds had “become a free-for-all” that often resulted in violence. That ordinance deals primarily with permitting and security requirements for those events.
An ordinance that would specifically apply to private clubs, Carleton said, could involve increased security requirements at clubs — like Club Heidi Ho — with high volumes of reported violence, maybe even to the point of requiring those clubs to install video surveillance.
Mayor Robert Smith, while he agrees with Carleton that Club Heidi Ho has not yet reached “nuisance” level, said he agrees that tighter restrictions are needed.
‘War is upon us’
“They say you have to prepare for war in times of peace, but the war is upon us,” Smith said. “We’re going to have to tighten up on what’s going on out there because it’s about to become a nuisance. Our main concern is the safety of the citizens.”
Councilman Joseph Mickens of Ward 2, where Club Heidi Ho is located, said he also supports stricter regulations on private clubs in light of Club Heidi Ho’s history.
“We cracked down hard on the Fairgrounds,” Mickens said. “It can’t be any different for Club Heidi Ho. We just have to find out what we can and can’t do legally. That’s where we’re at right now.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.