Temporary liquor license suspension for The Pit
The Pit will not be serving alcohol the weekend before Halloween.
The new bar on the Hill had its liquor license suspended for three days over a wrestling match it held on Aug. 31.
The suspension was handed down in a hearing Wednesday by the Boulder Beverages Licensing Authority, which found that The Pit violated the Colorado Code of Regulations. The establishment “failed to conduct the licensed premises in a decent, orderly and respectable manner.”
The BBLA banned the bar from serving alcohol the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Halloween – a weekend authorities consider especially volatile on the Hill. It also gave the bar a warning that it could face more suspension if there is another violation within a year.
On the night of the wrestling match, two 20-year-old women allegedly entered the bar using fake identification. They were given clothing for a wrestling match – black shorts and white tank tops – by a Pit employee. They consumed alcohol and wrestled in front of a large crowd.
Boulder Police Spokeswoman Julie Brooks said that there were 25 to 20 people on the fence rocking it back and forth. Concerned for their safety, Boulder Police officers told the bouncers to get the people off of the fence.
That’s when one of the women ran out of the bar. When confronted by officers, she was reportedly distraught and alleged that she was forced to wrestle. According to an affidavit, She later said that she was not forced “but she did feel pressured.”
Jonathan and Jacqueline Broadhurst, the husband-and-wife team who own and manage The Pit, and their attorney, Keith Collins, pointed out that the woman was drunk when she made her accusation. They also said that she was not distraught until officers caught up to her, and that both the women appeared cheerful when they were in the bar.
They did not deny the allegation that one woman was served alcohol prior to the event, or that she appeared intoxicated to officers. Also, they did not directly deny that the women had alcohol before they entered the bar.
The owners did say that the women did not appear intoxicated when they entered the bar. The owners of the Pit and the employees denied any unprofessional behavior.
All this was enough to convince the members of the BBLA that the bar should be sanctioned with a suspension.
“We just concluded that the conduct of the establishment in the episode offended the sensibilities of the average citizen,” said Peter Gowan, chairman of the BBLA.
Collins said he was concerned about the impact the ruling would have on the establishment.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re disappointed in the ruling, and it will certainly cause a hardship on this organization,” Collins said.
