The Wah Long Sports Bar, located at the corner of Ambaum and 153rd in Burien, has made the news twice in 2011 – the first for a shooting at the bar on Jan. 9 and more recently for a stabbing/shooting incident on May 25 (Times/News coverage here).

Those events, along with a long list of alleged violations are cited in a letter to Burien Mayor McGilton and the City Council asking that the bar’s liquor license not be renewed and business license revoked. The letter is signed by 38 business owners and residents living near the bar.

In the letter, the group states they have been complaining about problems at Wah Long since 2008 and “the city seems either unwilling or unable to confront the reality that their establishment presents a public nuisance.” (see Burien City Manager Mike Martin’s comments further in the story)

Alleged Wah Long violations listed in the letter include, “not cutting off intoxicated patrons, allowing patrons to walk out of the bar with their alcohol, turning a blind eye to drug deals (inside the building and in the parking lot), allowing the building and parking lot to be an unsightly mess …, serving minors, the operation of an illegal outdoor bar, excessive noise, having intoxicated patrons harassing other local businesses and staying open past 2 a.m.”

The group asks the City of Burien “to ask the Washington State Liquor Control Board for a non-renewal of the Wah Long sports bar’s liquor license (renewal is up for October 31, 2011)” and “we further ask the city to remove the Wah Long sports bar’s business license.”

“How many more headlines do you want in the media with the words ‘shooting’ and ‘Burien?’ the letter asked . “With every bullet and headline any goodwill that you have created about the reinvention of Burien and its image evaporates.”

Jimmy Tham, owner of Wah Long Sports Bar responds
When presented with the letter sent to the mayor and city council of Burien, Jimmy Tham responded with surprise that neighboring businesses had gone to such extremes instead of talking with him about their concerns.

“That (letter) describes me as a horrible person,” Tham said. “Come talk to me or I’ll come meet you (to resolve the problems).”

Tham said he is equally concerned with the shootings and stabbings that have occurred outside his establishment, but he believes the same thing could have happened anywhere in Burien.

“Everywhere you go these types of things happen (stabbings, shootings), who wants these kind of things to happen?” he said. “You don’t want bad things to happen, but they happen.”

As for the long list of alleged violations mentioned above, Tham denied any wrongdoing. He said they comply with Washington law in regards to checking identification and cutting off already-intoxicated patrons, kick people out if they get unruly or are suspected of dealing drugs, operate a perfectly legal beer garden (called an illegal outdoor bar in the letter), and have made changes to the business model including a stop to playing loud music and moving the door to the beer garden to lessen noise pollution for area residents.

As for letting people stay and drink past 2 a.m., Tham insisted that he kicks people out at the legal closing time but his patrons sometimes linger in the parking lot.

Tham said he has never been contacted by the City of Burien or police to correct any violations.

The City’s position
Burien City Manager Mike Martin said the City is focusing in on Tham’s business.

“They have not been good community neighbors, we’re unhappy with the way that establishment has been run and we expect that behavior to change or stop in the near future,” Martin said.

“The deal is they have had two very violent incidents there in the past six to eight months and we don’t view that as coincidence. We are unhappy with that and it’s going to stop.”

Martin said the City is “taking a close look” at the possibility of not renewing Wah Long’s liquor license in October.