Milwaukee Common Council won't renew Tatou Ultra Pub license amid sex trafficking concerns

The Milwaukee Common Council voted not to renew the license of a north side night club amid sex trafficking concerns.

The vote came after a neighborhood outcry, with residents concerned the owner of Tatou Ultra Pub, which is on N. 35th St. just south of W. Capitol Drive, planned to renew the club's license and then sell the business to VLive, a nationwide chain of strip clubs.

VLive promotional materials advertising a future Milwaukee location were posted on social media and a VLive sign had appeared outside Tatou.

A Common Council committee had previously voted unanimously earlier this month not to renew a license for Tatou.

But on Tuesday, aldermen were warned that the city attorney's office could have trouble defending the city in court if aldermen failed to renew the license.

Ald. Milele Coggs raised concerns about the tone of the assistant city attorney's comments.

But Ald. Jim Bohl said he "didn't think the evidence warranted a non-renewal."

He pushed to renew the license with a 60-day suspension, but that motion failed.

At the licensing committee meeting, Tatou owner James Harrison and attorney David Halbrooks maintained VLive would have no part in the club's future.

But that did not satisfy residents who said Tatou had contributed to loud noise and reckless driving in the area.

“We do not need another club, period, in the neighborhood," said Rotiesha Nelson, who lives nearby and is a member of Common Ground, a community organization that brought about 35 people to the committee meeting.

"Our neighborhood right now is too vulnerable," she said.

Halbrooks said the club's owner had considered joining with VLive for marketing purposes but dropped those plans once the neighbors protested.

Tatou has been closed for seven months and will remain closed until renovations and building code orders are completed, Halbrooks said.

There also were no recent police records documenting an nuisance activity at the club, he said.

Several people spoke in support of the renewal, saying without the business there would be another vacant building.

The licensing committee, however, decided not to recommend the renewal. Ald. Khalif Rainey, who represents the area where the club is located, voted against renewal.

Ald. Tony Zielinski, the committee's chairman, commended residents for their involvement.

"Without your concern and your active involvement in terms of emailing and calling, this change ... may very well not have taken place," he said.