MADISON (WKOW) — The Visions Nightclub owner and his attorney say that Visions isn’t a dangerous place.

Tom Reichenberger, during a news conference Monday, said that he’s been in the nightclub business for more than 50 years and had never had a shooting in one of his nightclubs before the early morning hours of December 9, 2018.

Visions is located on the 3000 block of East Washington Avenue, the area’s alderman was at the press conference.

Alder David Ahrens has started a petition to revoke Visions liquor license.

In the petition Ahrens says Visions is “a hub of illegal behavior including shootings, thefts, drug-selling, and prostitution.”

Reichenberger reacted to that statement, “that’s rotten that you said that. You have no basis for that.”

Reichenberger has taken steps toward suing Alder Ahrens. His attorney has sent a statutory notice of claim to Ahrens and city clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl. He said Ahrens made false statements about violence, drugs, and prostitution at Visions Nightclub.

Reichenberger feels Ahrens is trying to say all the crime in the area is Visions fault.

“You lump police calls on this whole north side and you relay it to visions because that’s the easy answer, go after Visions,” said Reichenberger.

Reichenberger believes the real source of the crime is the neighboring Kwik Trip.

“You have a 24 hour Kwik Trip that I believe is the cause of most police calls, how did you over look that?,” said Reicheberger to Ahrens.

But Ahrens disagrees.

“The notion that Kwik Trip is somehow is the source of this problem is absurd,” Ahrens said. “There’s over 600 Kwik Trips in the mid-west and for some reason this Kwik Trip next door to Visions has been the source of problems in this neighborhood.”

Reichenberger also says that he’s tried to move the nightclub several times but the city council has made it difficult for him.

Ahrens says residents in the area have had problems with the nightclub before the latest incident.

“The first thing when I was elected–I heard from people was about the problems of Visions, and it’s been ongoing since then,” said Ahrens.

For now, Reichenberger says the nightclub is stepping up it’s security by adding wanding to make sure no guns get inside.

Ahrens eventually plans to bring his petition to the City of Madison Alcohol License Review Committee.