Two Milwaukee bars had their liquor licenses suspended at the city’s Common Council meeting Tuesday, temporarily shutting down their operations. Uptown Bar and Grill, 3535 W. Villard Ave., had its license suspended for 30 days, and New Entertainers, 5321 W. Green Tree Road, was suspended for 15 days.
Uptown Bar and Grill’s suspension comes after police said they received 14 reports related to the bar in 2023.
Calls were related to instances of shots fired outside the bar or in the parking lot, underage people drinking in the bar, a party in the storage space above the bar, and an instance where the bar’s security personnel shot at a car.
Uptown owner Tonia Otis told the council’s Licenses Committee at a Jan. 5 meeting that some of the police reports had nothing to do with her business, including one incident that started near the corner of North 37th Street and West Villard Avenue, about a block to the west, then moved in front of her bar. She said other calls were from an anonymous caller who “is a disgruntled person.”