Nightclub Re-Opens Almost Two Months After Court-Ordered Shut Down

After falling from grace when it shut down almost two months ago, the Palace nightclub is re-opening its gates. Earlier this week, a judge allowed the owners to resume business after obeying certain orders. Owners have added security cameras to the building exterior, extra lighting, and hired more security. The sounds of sirens are sometimes all too familiar to some of the residents in this neighborhood. "On any given night, that it`s open, you have a shooting, fights," said James Merrill, who lives nearby. Shots rang out outside the club back in August 2004, leaving one man dead. And when it happened again in December, city leaders wasted no time asking a court to shut it down. "That`s what brought our attention to it, plus other calls. It`s not unusual, most clubs have police calls, but not of the nature we`ve had at that one," explained Sgt. Terry Hastings, of the Little Rock Police Department. The club re-opened the night of January 27th, under the watchful eye of the Little Rock Police Department, and its security camera mounted at the intersection of Wright Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. "We will have extra patrols in the area, that will be watching, not only the club, but the parking areas around the club that seems to be where problems have occurred in the past," said Hastings. But neighbors say, when the palace was closed, was when they felt safer. "The neighborhood was a lot quieter, you don`t have people traveling up and down the streets," said neighbor Paulette Blevins. Palace Nightclub managers said on the phone they noticed more police cars on patrol on Thursday night, and that the added security cameras were their own idea, not the city`s.