The beat goes on for Jelly’s, a dance cafe at 295 Terry A. Francois Blvd. near AT&T Park, where Sunday’s “Club Havana” continued on Aug. 29 despite attempts by the Port of San Francisco to close it down.
Jelly’s has long provided a venue for many local Mission District DJs and bands to showcase their talents. “The interaction between the live bands, the DJs and audience is special…It has been a vital part of the salsa scene for 16 years,” said Luis Medina, music director at KPFA and a resident DJ at Jelly’s for the last ten years. According to Medina, the club has had many longtime regular patrons who mingle with tourists looking to experience Salsa in San Francisco.
“It is known as the kind of place where anything can happen and does happen much to the delight of the audience,” said Medina. “Jelly’s provides a standard that isn’t matched often; it is the standard for San Francisco.”
But since the shooting death of Lee Farley following a private party on July 11, the Port of San Francisco has maintained a different standard for the club. According to Rene Dunn Martin of the Port Commission, an eviction notice has been in effect since Aug. 19 after its lease was cancelled. The clubs’ owner, however, has protested the decision and says she is committed to staying open.
Farley’s death was one of many in the last few months that have alarmed city officials and been responsible for increasing San Francisco Police Department foot patrols in entertainment districts. But so far, Jelly’s is the only club that has been ordered to shut down. The city’s Entertainment Commission suspended the club’s operating license for seven days in the wake of the shooting, causing the club to cancel several performances, but since then, weekend brunch and the club’s Friday and Sunday night Salsa sets have persisted.
“It’s difficult because business has been dropping, “said Claurice Lacau, the clubs’s owner, “but we’re determined to stay open. There have been shootings all over the city but I feel like I’m being singled out.”
The club has hired an attorney, G. Whitney Leigh of Gonzalez and Leigh, to fight the eviction. The attorney was not available for comment.
Proponents of the club claim that the port has targetted Jelly’s because of its prime location at Pier 50. “The [port commission] board has had its eyes on Jelly’s for quite some time, “ said Medina. “They’re being unfairly targetted because it interferes with the port’s plans to gentrify the area.”
“[The club] really has served its purpose,” said Medina. “It would be a tremendous loss if it were to close.”
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