Dear Mr. Capsis!
We have been reading the Westview News for many years. Your openness and frankness has impressed us and we believe the City would be better off if we had more journalists of your caliber.
We would need this type of advocacy in our longstanding fight against Automatic Slims, the notorious bar right in the heart of the West Village. This Janus faced bar—genteel and neighborhood oriented during the day but ugly, nasty, loud and drug infested at night—has been a sore point in the wellbeing of many neighbors, especially at night.
Our fight against the bar reached its first triumphant apex two years ago when we called for a Community Board 2 meeting trying to force Automatic Slims to adhere to certain minimum standards of decent bar management or else lose their liquor license.
The community board unanimously agreed with us. The story is depicted at www.banthebar.org and included staff training, calibrated sound equipment and dedicated outdoor bouncers.
Regrettably, rather than adhering to the CB2 stipulations the nightly mayhem has drastically intensified over the past two years. Bouncers are non-existent and bar tenders, in blatant disregard of the agreements, increase the sound level after complaints are made!! Adding insult to injury, they themselves smoke outside the bar together with their rowdy clientele while the police are helplessly watching on.
Walter Elyon for Concerned Citizens against Automatic Slims
