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Ballard’s owner Steven Philippi and his attorney declined to comment when asked after the hearing whether a temporary restraining order would be filed against the committee’s decision. James Callaghan, of Callaghan & Callaghan, North Kingston, which represents New Shoreham, said he hoped Filippi and his team “will do something soon”.
The hearing began at 5 p.m., and the entertainment venue’s attorney, Brian LaPlante of Cranston-based LaPlante Sowa Goldman, moved to completely sabotage the hearing.
More than 100 people and more than 600 were killed in Laplante at New Shoreham Town Hall watch live.
LaPlante alleges that the Licensing Board Committee, which consists of all five New Shoreham Town Council members, is August 11 Town Council Meeting, the public has spoken out against recent events at the popular resort. LaPlante also claimed that Filippi was never notified of the Aug. 11 meeting, and accused city council members of instructing the public on how to “make a case” for or against Ballard’s.
But the hearing moved forward, with former Block Island police chief Peter Chabot being called as the town’s first witness.
Chabot, a captain of the Rhode Island State Police, said that when he arrived at Ballard’s on Aug. 8, he observed “several groups of people yelling at each other” and people were jumping over the fence to enter the venue. Free reggae festival from noon to 7pm that day.
By the end of the Ballard Festival — 6 p.m., an hour earlier — “over 3,000 people” had left Ballard for the Block Island ferry, Chabot said. He described the crowd as “hot, tired and depressed”. As they waited to board the soon-to-be-full ferry, he said the crowd was “very chaotic. Loud. There were a few altercations. A few altercations.”
Laplante cross-examined Chabo for more than an hour, asking him if the events of August 8 were “a mess in his mind” and asking detailed questions about the ferry system to and from the island. Callahan objected several times during cross-examination.
Three and a half hours after the hearing began, Laplante asked Filippi to testify.
In preparation for the Aug. 8 reggae festival, Filippi said he spoke with his security chief, Vin Carlone, a former New Shoreham police chief. “He’s not worried. I feel the same way,” Filippi said. Filippi also said he spoke with Chabot that weekend, and Chabot advised Ballard to step up security and let people slowly enter the venue so security staff can check IDs and check their luggage.
“I said yes. “We’ll check them. We’ll be checking them out slowly,” Filippi said. “That’s why people started going over the fence. Because we are doing it too slowly. “
Filippi also said that festivalgoers will receive a wristband indicating they are over 21. By 2:15pm, Ballard’s was so crowded that they would only let people in if there were an equal number of people leaving.
“It’s not out of control,” Filippi said, adding that it was “unfair” to describe the incident as “out of control.”
“Unfortunately, 25 seconds ruined the whole day,” he said, referring to a video People who fight during the event. “Hopefully it never happens again.”
This year, he spent $25,000 to $30,000 on the reggae festival, which offers free admission to encourage people to attend. But “it’s done, it’s dead,” Filippi said of the reggae festival. “And everyone needs to know that.”
Adam Mancini of Stonington, Connecticut, testified that he attended the reggae festival with seven other people. They rented a cabin at Ballard’s house, but when they decided to leave, they encountered a group of people who were fighting.
Mancini said he had been to Ballard before and enjoyed it. But after the Aug. 8 event, “I’m not interested in going back,” he said.
Christine “Nikki” Newman testified in support of Ballard’s, saying that despite numerous reports of overcrowding and tension at the venue, she believes “there is nothing overcrowded”.
“No one ever drank. There weren’t a lot of drunks out there,” she said. Newman said she believed the real problem was with the ferry. When cross-examined, she said she had not witnessed any fights, arguments or arguments, but had seen an incident with a girl who allegedly suffered from anxiety. She then admitted that she knew Filippi and Ballards’ security chief Caron.
“I think I’m for Ballard. I’m for Block Island,” she said.
State Trooper Damien Maddox, who has been stationed on Block Island for the past several summers, described encountering a group of people with expensive booze waiting in line to enter the resort and seeing a “crowd” – about 100 people – to go over the fence and enter without having to search their luggage or check their ID.
The town posted a video taken from social media showing a woman carrying a beach chair and walking over the fence to Ballard’s right, just behind state trooper Arnaldo De Lacerda Dju. The officer said he was the only one guarding the fence. De Lacerda Dju described having to resolve several disputes over the Ballard Hotel and the Block Island ferry terminal, which is a short walk from the resort.
Robert Barroll, who works at the Block Island Express Ferry, said he saw customers leave Ballard with drinks. He said most of the litterers wore wristbands, wore Ballard’s reggae T-shirts, and discarded containers from “large quantities of frozen drinks” that “only Ballard sells.”
“Once they’re done [their drinks] They would throw them on the concrete,” he said. “Every 20 minutes or so, we would walk the lines and pick up the litter on the ground. I started bringing a trash can for people to give me their trash.
“I’ve never done this before,” Barroll said.
Filippi said no one in town ordered him to cancel the event, and he had no control over the ferry that brought Ballard’s clients back to the mainland or how and when police arrested them.
“Unfortunately, 10 people … screwed everyone up,” Filippi said. “You’re trying to throw a free festival…you’re trying to do the right thing.”
Town Solicitor James Callaghan said Ballard’s breached the terms of their liquor and entertainment licence and posed a danger to the public, although it claimed its owners were not responsible.
In the final argument, Laplante maintained that despite nearly six hours of testimony, videotaping and cross-examination, there was “no evidence” that Ballard had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol or served a minor that day.
The licensing committee members disagreed and voted unanimously to suspend the resort’s license for 14 days.
Alexa Gagosz can be contacted at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz on Instagram @AlexaGagosz. Carlos Muñoz can be contacted at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ReadCarlos on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.
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