Before he died, Ga. Labor commissioner asked police to investigate a nightclub on state property

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.

"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."

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 prompted a sting early last month, with several fire code and Board of Health citations issued. Inspectors noted excessive trash and an "unpleasant odor," and found the club was operating without a current alcohol license or food service permit, with fire alarms not working. 

Lyfe ATL remains open, though.

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."

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.

"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.

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."

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."

So what became of the commissioner's letter?

The Atlanta Police Department told the I-Team in an email that a check of the club found "multiple violations," with citations issued by the Fulton County Board of Health and the fire department. The Board of Health's inspection report says a sting took place Nov. 8, with inspectors noting excessive trash, "an unpleasant odor exuding from the facility," and dirty and damaged furniture, floors, walls, ceilings and kitchen equipment.

County Health cited the club for operating without a valid food permit and lack of proper refrigeration.

APD also said "the business was found to have no current alcohol license," adding that the club "is not allowed to operate until the issues found have been resolved."

The club appeared to be open on a recent weekend, though, and none of the pending enforcement actions seem to preclude that.

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 hearing on the Board of Health citations is set for later this month, and department spokesman said the club can operate with that case pending, too, it just can't serve food without a permit. The inspection report noted conditions found in the sting "would impede permitting."

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 license has been reactivated.

Atlanta police told the I-Team officers will keep an eye on the place.

"APD officers assigned to the area have been directed to patrol the location and address any criminal activity found," the email said. "We will continue to monitor activity at the business and work to ensure any criminal activity there is addressed."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information from the Fulton County Board of Health's inspection report.