Bricktown Bar Managers Held Accountable For Patrons' Behaviors

The Bricktown Association is revamping its codes of conduct after a shooting injured eight people. Police are also holding bar owners accountable for their patrons' behavior.

5/22/2012 Related Story: One Victim Critical, Seven Recovering Following Shooting In Bricktown After Thunder Game

Recently there were two arrests of bar managers in Bricktown, and another bar owner was ticketed. They feel picked on, but police tell News 9 they're simply enforcing the law.

The Bricktown Association met with bar owners and police to figure out the best course of action.

"We are coming up with a unified message on coming up with a particular code of conduct on what we think is acceptable behavior for the bar and nightclubs," said Jeneatte Smith, the Executive Director of the Bricktown Association.

Recently the manager of Rok bar, Steven Wagner, was arrested for allegedly allowing nudity and extreme drunkenness of his patrons. The manager of Skyy bar, Jamison Ives Marchette, went to jail for allowing public drunkenness. And at Tapwerks, a fight between customers cost manager Greg Powell a $100 ticket.

"They need to be aware of what's happening in their establishments, that's the only way they can run a credible business," Smith said.

Capt. Dexter Nelson with the Oklahoma City Police Department said authorities aren't actually "cracking down," but he pointed out there is a concentrated number of bars downtown, so inevitability there are more disturbances.

Bricktown police do regular bar checks and write about two tickets a month, but bar owners are always warned before they are cited.