NBC

New Haven Neighbors Say Bar Crowd Brings Crime to Westville

Dozens of neighbors from New Haven’s Westville neighborhood came to a community meeting Wednesday to talk about crime in the area, and concerns that one bar has a lot to do with it.

“I don't feel safe. I'm afraid. I'm afraid,” said Sharon Lovett-Graff.

Lovett-Graff isn’t the only resident afraid to go out at night.

Several neighbors are raising concerns about Roosevelt’s – a bar that opened on Whalley Avenue late last year.

“What happened when Roosevelt’s came it brought a lot of crime,” said Keren Clarizo of New Haven.

Police said that before the bar opened, there weren’t shootings in the area. But in the past year, police have responded to three instances of gunfire or shootings near the bar, resulting in two people injured.

The most recent happened early Wednesday morning. Investigators said one patron of the bar drove threatening toward another, who fired at the vehicle.

“Last night I was woken out of bed I heard gunshots,” Lovett-Graff said. ”the car that was shot at ended up in front of my house,” she added.

Police said Roosevelt’s bar often hires an extra duty officer on the weekends, but that it still takes many on-duty officers to clear the area after closings.

Residents who spoke with NBC Connecticut said they want the bar gone, and several have signed a petition to send the liquor commission to try to get the business’s liquor license pulled.

“We don't want this bar and we want to protect our community,” Clarizio said.

Aside from the gunfire and shooting, police said they’ve received several complaints regarding noise and fights.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the bar several times but has not yet received a comment.

Contact Us