Before he died, Ga. Labor commissioner asked police to investigate a nightclub on state property
Request to investigate a nightclub on state property
A landlord and a downtown nightclub are battling in court over a building that sits on state property. The FOX 5 I-Team has learned that, before his death from cancer last week, Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson waded into that dispute. FOX 5 I-Team reporter Johnny Edwards obtained a scathing letter about the nightclub, sent by Thomspon to Atlanta's chief of police and mayor, a few months before he died.
ATLANTA - Before his death in office last month, Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson tried to sound an alarm about a downtown nightclub, the FOX 5 I-Team has learned.
Lyfe ATL, formerly Harlem Nights Ultra Lounge, sits on state property owned by the Department of Labor, at the corner of Courtland Street and Andrew Young International Boulevard. In a letter written to Atlanta’s police chief, obtained by the I-Team, Thompson called the nightclub/restaurant "a nuisance to our community" and asked for an investigation.
He cited filthy conditions, "disgustingly dirty" restrooms, a "pervasive" smell of marijuana, and chained and barricaded doors posing fire and safety risks. Thompson also told the chief about several shootings in recent years at or near the club.
Georgia's late Labor commissioner asked Atlanta police to investigate Lyfe ATL, formerly Harlem Nights Ultra Lounge. (FOX 5)
"I cannot help but surmise that much more than drinking, eating, and music happen in this club," Thompson said in a letter to Chief Darin Shierbaum, dated Oct. 7, "and I am baffled at how this establishment passes health and sanitation inspections based on the conditions I saw during my brief walk through of the property."
Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson died Nov. 24 at age 59. (Georgia Department of Labor)
The commissioner died seven weeks later, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
His letter was copied to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. The I-Team determined the letter apparently led to several fire code and Board of Health citations, with the club found to be operating without a current alcohol license and with some fire alarms not working.
Lyfe ATL remains open.
When Thompson, a statewide elected official, personally inspected the building, he was apparently trying to help the club's landlord. Sandy Campbell owns the building and leases the land from the Department of Labor. Court records show she has been trying to evict Lyfe ATL for years in what’s become a messy, drawn-out legal battle.
Campbell told the I-Team she hasn’t collected rent from the nightclub since 2022.
"It’s a terrible situation," Campbell said. "It should have been handled years ago, and it just has gone through the channels of roadblock after roadblock."
Sandy Campbell owns a building on Courtland Street that sits on state property, which she rents to Lyfe ATL, a restaurant/nightclub. (FOX 5)
Thompson also wrote in his letter to the chief that he saw people who appeared to be living in the club, with showers inside that "do not fit in with any normal nightclub business model."
The I-Team asked to view the inside of the club and requested an interview with Chauncy Strong, CEO of CLS Entertainment, which operates Lyfe ATL. Strong declined, referring questions to his attorney, who did not provide a statement.
‘They still won’t pay’
On weekends, after midnight, Lyfe ATL comes alive. Long lines stretch outside the door, and videos posted on the club’s Instagram account show a packed house.
But whatever Lyfe ATL brings in, Campbell says she's not seeing a penny of it.
A line forms outside the door of Lyfe ATL early on Nov. 17. (FOX 5)
"They’re operating, but they still won’t pay," she said.
Legally, though, the club doesn’t have to, the I-Team found from a review of court documents.
Campbell’s company, Kenkam LLC, and the club's owner have been embroiled in litigation for years, a dispute that started when the club exercised its option to buy the building during the Covid pandemic.
This image is from a video posted on Lyfe ATL's Instagram page.
According to court records, the parties dispute which side is to blame for several missed closing dates. At one point, a Fulton County judge ordered the club to pay $11,000 a month in rent, and later, to vacate the building. Then the Georgia Court of Appeals overturned that, saying Judge Kimberly M. Esmond Adams erred in ordering more than $200,000 in back rent.
Campbell said her monthly expenses on the building total about $8,000.
Thompson stepped in after hearing about her predicament, she said.
"I arranged to have the owner open the doors for the commissioner and several of his assistants," Campbell said. "And that’s the first time I’ve been in the building in years."
After taking a look inside, the late commissioner wrote to the police chief and mayor, "To say I am appalled at the condition of the premises and incredibly concerned at the activities occurring in the club is an understatement."
Building owner Sandy Campbell told the FOX 5 I-Team she hasn't collected rent from the nightclub since 2022, but her monthly expenses on the building total about $8,000. (FOX 5)
Among his bullet points, Thompson reported that last year, someone died on the club’s back steps and "was not noticed or addressed by the nightclub owners for staff for two (2) days."
That description appears to match the case of a 44-year-old man found dead on the steps in August 2023, who died from fentanyl and had cocaine in his system, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Also, in June 2023, FOX 5 reported that an off-duty Atlanta police officer was shot in the arm while working security there. A police report describes a drive-by shooting.
License reactivated
Thompson, who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, died Nov. 24 at age 59.
"I think everything's in limbo again now," Campbell said. "I’m just at a crossroads at a dead end street, it looks like."
Lyfe ATL sits just up the street from the headquarters of the Georgia Department of Labor, which owns the land. (FOX 5)
So what became of the commissioner's letter?
The Atlanta Police Department told the I-Team in an email that, early last month, a check of the club found "multiple violations," with citations issued by the Fulton County Board of Health and the fire department. APD said "the business was found to have no current alcohol license and no active food service permit," adding that the club "is not allowed to operate until the issues found have been resolved."
Whether all issues have been resolved isn’t clear. The club appeared to be open on a recent weekend.
A line for Lyfe ATL stretches around the corner early on Nov. 17. (FOX 5)
"APD officers assigned to the area have been directed to patrol the location and address any criminal activity found," the police statement said. "We will continue to monitor activity at the business and work to ensure any criminal activity there is addressed."
Citations provided by Atlanta Fire Rescue, issued to the club and to an on-site manager, were for inoperable fire alarms, combustibles stored too close to heat sources, and waste accumulation. A court date is set for next month, and a Fire spokeswoman said the club can operate while those citations are pending.
A spokesman said the county Board of Health cited the club for operating a food service establishment without a valid food permit and proper refrigeration.
For several years, Lyfe ATL has been in a messy legal dispute with its landlord and currently isn't legally required to pay rent. (FOX 5)
The I-Team also confirmed that the Georgia Department of Revenue visited the club last month, found it to be lacking a state alcohol license, and ordered the club to stop selling alcohol, state documents show.
But a Revenue department spokesman said the club "addressed the matter," so its alcohol license has been reactivated.
The Source: This is a FOX 5 I-Team report based on interviews, police reports from the Atlanta Police Department, statements from the Georgia Department of Revenue and documents from the Atlanta Fire Rescue.