Providence club allowed to reopen

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A Providence nightclub that was the scene of a New Year's Eve brawl will remain closed, but another club in the same building will be allowed to reopen this weekend, the Providence Board of Licenses ruled Wednesday afternoon.

At Wednesday's hearing, the lawyer for Club Elements and  Level II requested the two establishments be treated as separate entities and the board agreed.

It ruled Level II will be allowed to reopen this weekend with a mandatory police presence of three officers, and on the condition that police be allowed to review surveillance video for the brawl.

However, at this time Elements will remain closed. The hearing before the board will continue Friday.

According to police, nearly 60 officers were needed to bring the situation outside the neighboring nightclubs under control early New Year's Day.

Hundreds of people were seen streaming out the doors and fire escapes. A reported 10 to 15 people were involved in the melee.

Immediately following the chaos, the city ordered that both Elements and Level II be closed Friday and Saturday nights.

This is not the first time Level II's owners have been before the board. In April, police requested the establishment be shutdown, citing 22 separate incidents since Nov. 2007; including the stabbing death of a Connecticut man in Dec. 2008 and the stabbing of a bouncer last April.