Lost amongst all the recent council drama is the news that Naperville’s TopGolf was just the scene of its SEVENTH felony gun arrest since last September. The fact that all the arrestees have been from out of town gives one little solace. This business has become a magnet for gang bangers and criminals. Strangely, not a word about it at council meetings.
Nationally, numerous shootings have occurred at TopGolf locations. Just last week in Indiana a gun was discharged inside a TopGolf. Will Naperville wait until after a shooting has occurred to take action?
Our council has been distracted and to busy poking at one another. The situation with TopGolf is unacceptable. Our police should not be their security guards and TopGolf’s impressive sales tax figures should not provide them cover. At this point, that parking lot should be flooded with security, light, and video cameras. Whatever it is about their business model that is attracting gun-toting felons needs to be changed.
Liquor licenses have been pulled over far less then 7 felony gun arrests. Council, stop ignoring this. It will be council and the City – not TopGolf – that will get the heat when the inevitable incident happens there.
Thanks for the comment regarding Top Golf Naperville and Topgolf nationally. This is an ongoing problem. NPD says Topgolf is working with them but the problem persists. Additional security measures and liquor license review should help.
If Top Golf is working with NPD I’m not sure what else can be done. I am sure if anyone had any helpful suggestions the NPD would like to hear them and evaluate them for possible use at Top Golf.
The city and the city police should be working with Naperville businesses to help solve problems of public safety and so long as the business is working with them to address the problem, then the business should not be targeted for regulatory action. It would be a very different story if this business was turning a blind eye to the problem and not cooperating with NPD (as some businesses in Naperville have done in the past). Then using things like liquor regulations to gain cooperation would make sense.
Personally all the time I have gone to Top Golf it has never given of a “OK Corral” vibe. In fact it gives off the exact opposite vibe. It gives off a fun family outing vibe. Perhaps there are certain times and days that are a problem and I simply have not been to Top Golf during one of these times and days, but based on my personal experience it is not an out of control gang turf war zone.
https://www.nctv17.org/news/naperville-city-council-chastised-after-meeting-for-not-addressing-gaza-resolution/
I hope these nuts never get what they want. Israel is the only free country in the ME and Hamas is a terrorist organization. I hope the city never puts this on the agenda and succumbs to their terrorist threats. Shameful that several city council members had to be escorted to their cars due to threats Tuesday night. Never give in! Funny I never see Dianne McGuire, Nancy Turner, or Tim Thompson speaking on this issue. Wonder why?