The Tuscaloosa City Council has voted to revoke the license of a lounge where a customer was recently murdered. The council voted unanimously after a split in the crowd that filled the council chambers on Tuesday. Cru Tuscaloosa's business license was approved just six months before customer Rashid Little was murdered. Lounge representatives said Grizzly Security was hired to protect customers. This was the third management team the company had hired since its inception, but the council decided that wasn't enough. The City Council was forced to make this decision because there were too many safety concerns from the community. “It's not going to bring my friend back, but I feel a little bit more confident in the decision that was made,” said Little's friend Charalius Jones. Aaron Hill is accused of killing Little on Jan. 21 after an internal altercation. The city argued that companies have a responsibility to ensure that the security guards they hire are licensed through the Alabama Safety and Regulatory Commission. “Are grizzlies licensed by the state regulatory commission?” the city asked TPD Captain Marty Sellers, and the answer was “no.” “Is Aaron Hill accredited by that commission?'' The city then contacted Sellers, who responded, “He was not.'' Company representatives insist that staff did everything they could to defuse the situation. We stopped a murder,” said Cru Tuscaloosa President Cam Parsons. “The murder happened in a matter of seconds.'' When the council approved Cru Tuscaloosa's business license in June 2023, there were concerns that the 68-person venue would become overcrowded. Staff said a reservation system will be introduced to limit customers' time in the bar to two hours, and seats at the bar will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley has visited the lounge several times and observed that the bar was over capacity. Police believe the lounge was over capacity when Little was killed. TPD Chief Brent Blankley said police will investigate other corporate security companies to see if they are licensed by the state Safety and Regulatory Commission.
The Tuscaloosa City Council has voted to revoke the license of a lounge where a customer was recently murdered. Congress voted unanimously on Tuesday after a divided crowd filled the chamber.
Cru Tuscaloosa's business license was approved just six months before customer Rashid Little was murdered. Lounge representatives said Grizzly Security was hired to protect customers. This was the company's third management hire since its inception, but the council decided that wasn't enough. The city council was forced to make the decision after hearing too many safety concerns from the community.
“It's not going to bring my friend back, but I feel a little more confident in the decision that was made,” said Little's friend Charalius Jones.
A third security guard, Aaron Hill, is accused of killing Little during an altercation inside the store on January 21st. The city argued that companies have a responsibility to ensure that the security guards they hire are licensed through the Alabama Safety and Regulatory Commission.
“Are grizzlies licensed by the state regulatory commission?” So the city asked TPD Captain Marty Sellers, and the answer was “no.”
“Is Aaron Hill licensed by the commission?'' So the city asked Sellers, and the answer was “No.''
Company representatives insist that staff did everything they could to defuse the situation.
“Neither of the two employees at the scene could have done anything to prevent the murder,” said Cam Parsons, president of Cru Tuscaloosa. “The killing happened in a matter of seconds.”
When the council approved Cru Tuscaloosa's business license in June 2023, there were concerns that the 68-capacity venue would become overcrowded. Staff said a reservation system will be introduced to limit customers' time in the bar to two hours, and seats at the bar will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley has visited the lounge several times and has seen the bar filled to capacity.
Police believe the lounge was over capacity at the time Little was killed. TPD Chief Brent Blankley said police will investigate other corporate security companies to see if they are licensed by the state Safety and Regulatory Commission.
