You are reading

Astoria Strip Club With History Of Violence Closed Temporarily, Leaders Want Closure To Be Permanent

Purlieu

March 11, 2016 By Christian Murray

An Astoria strip club that has been linked to a series of violent incidents—including the shooting of a livery driver earlier this month—has been temporarily shut down.

Club Purlieu, located at 36-04 34th St., was closed Thursday night after the 114th Precinct and various City agencies conducted an inspection.

Capt. Peter Fortune, the commanding officer of the 114th Precinct, said it was the Department of Consumer Affairs that found multiple violations and ordered temporary closure of the notorious club.

The DCA could not be reached as of press time.

Several elected leaders are using this temporary closure as a means to bring attention to a recent spate of violence and are calling for it to be permanently closed.

“This is the exact type of business we don’t need,” State Sen. Mike Gianaris said. “It’s dangerous and ruins the quality [of life] of nearby residents and office workers.”

The club made headlines when a livery driver was shot in the head on March 4 shortly after dropping off four passengers at the club.

The passengers got into an argument in the club, jumped in his cab and shots were fired, hitting the driver.

Last year, a brawl erupted at the club that was a gang-related incident where three people were stabbed.

The incident was sparked by a fight between members affiliated with the Crips and Bloods and ultimately spilled out onto the sidewalk, the Queens Chronicle reported at the time.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said he will hold a rally Monday at 9:30 a.m. to call for the closure of the club.

He will call on the State Liquor Authority to revoke the club’s liquor license and request that the NYPD’s office of Citywide Club Enforcement shut down the establishment based on its violent history.

Club Purlieu’s owner could not immediately be reached.

email the author: [email protected]

11 Comments

Click for Comments 
yup

Demand equals supply. Its a two way process. If people will come and someones profits then it is never ending.

Reply
Guy 47

Supply and demand are fine but once your business puts the life and liberty of your neighbors at risk it is time to pack up and go.

Reply
Shut this place down Van Bramer, Maloney, Simotas, Giannaris, Constantinidis

Crips and Bloods on 36th Avenue in 11106????? Oh no way, can’t be!!!!!
Jimmy Van Bramer you need to put up your dukes and pull out all the stops. This place does not belong here. It was a family style Greek Restaurant for a while and then the owner sold it to Purlieu????????
What the freak is a Purlieu????????????
Simotas, Costantinidis and Giannaris and Maloney have to help Van Bramer, tax paying home owners and tenants do not deserve this at all. All elected officials have to step up to the plate and do the right thing now or else don’t expect my vote again

Reply
the_judge

This place just looks shady – no windows, that big Purlieu sign just went up a couple of weeks ago so you couldn’t really tell what it was at all.
Back in the day this was an air conditioning repair place, brought many a window unit in to get tested and recharged.

In 2016 this makes a nice spot for condos or office space with some good retail or restaurants at street level. Already have some pretty decent restaurants on the 36 Ave strip.

Reply
Caravaggio

We need to not allow anymore cabaret licenses in Astoria. Nightclubs and strip clubs always have some type of issue. We don’t need anymore violence in this neighborhood. Enough is enough!

Reply
J Russe

I hope the closure is permanent- this club and the element it attracts threatens the safety of the neighborhood residents and businesses.

Reply
Ivana

Good news! It was about time! We’re been frightened to also be victim of violence everytime we walked near this club. Thanks to the authorities and leaders of the community who are looking into this situation.

Reply
Astoria Resident

Not luxury condos but maybe something more productive to the neighborhood like a library.

Reply
AstoriaNeedsBeatCopsNow

Burn this building to the ground and ship these hoodlums to New Jersey where they belong.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.

After surge of traffic violence, Queens leaders demand safer streets especially for children

Following a tragic week on Queens streets where three pedestrians — 43-year-old Natalia Garcia-Valencia, 58-year-old Elisa Bellere and 8-year-old Bayrron Palomino Arroyo — were fatally struck by unsafe drivers, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that he has allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for street safety improvements on three of the borough’s most dangerous roadways.

Richards made the announcement at 82nd Street and Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst on Monday morning, about a mile from where the 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by an impatient pickup truck driver from Flushing on Mar. 13 as he walked in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 101st Street with him mother and brother, who was injured.