06/09/2026
“Gettin’ Shuggy With It, Part 5”
by Shuggypop Jackson
In the 15 months since the city council’s Judiciary and Administration committee held a liquor license revocation hearing for Latino Bar & Grill, due to 320 citations issued to patrons at that establishment, for being a welcoming environment and serving alcohol to teenagers, steps have been taken to begin correcting a downtown culture that had gotten grossly out of hand due to a combination of the proliferation of fake IDs that can be ordered off the internet, a nonchalant attitude by downtown bar workers about serving underage patrons, and a lack of enforcement by the city.
The La Crosse Police Department has been requested by the City Council to submit a quarterly report to them detailing their bar checks and any establishments that had standout situations they found as part of their nightly patrolling. Also it has been determined that the La Crosse Police Department were well below the state average for bar enforcement, which they have since increased 40% from 2024 to 2025. Part of this increase involves what those who work in bars refer to as “stings”, in which the police send in underage volunteers with government issued IDs that have their actual age to see if they are carded and can get served alcohol. The results of this has been a 187% increase in citations given to bars from 2024 to 2025.
The law on the books in City of La Crosse Code of Ordinances states that if any establishment receives 3 citations in a year for infractions such as serving underage, over serving customers, etc, there is supposed to be a review process by the J&A committee to determine how to move forward. Typically the bar owner is summoned to a committee or city council hearing, where the bar owner can be fined, have their liquor license suspended anywhere from 10 to 90 days, or have their liquor license fully revoked if the charges are severe, habitual, or involve a high volume of infractions. If a liquor license gets revoked, no new alcohol license can be issued for that physical address for a set period, and that owner is ineligible to hold a liquor license for at least one year.
Issuing citations to bars falls completely on the discrepancy of the patrolling police officers. They were writing very few to bars. Instead they were most likely to write citations to students downtown for consuming alcohol underage, possessing a fake ID, and being in a bar underage. These three citations are frequently compiled, with students getting tickets totaling around $900. The vast majority of these citations never go to court, instead parents write a check and mail it in. The city took in hundreds of thousands of dollars off of this enforcement, which lead to accusations from the community of corruption and an easy money grab for the city, while bars were facing little punishment, which created a downtown culture welcoming to underage customers who knew which bars are easy to get in, which bars they know a bouncer or bartender, or which bars leave open a back door they can enter unchecked.
Along with the increase in enforcement and citations given to bars, the city has begun working with state agents when checking bars. I was not able to determine if the city requested this, or if this is something the state started doing to improve the city’s underwhelming performance. Either way, the state agents are far more thorough, which has lead to many pi**ed off bar workers and owners who had gotten used to profiting off lax enforcement. Besides failing “stings” and serving underage or not asking for IDs, citations have been issued for bartenders being drunk on the job and bars not having any licensed bartenders on the premises while open to the public.
The review process by the J&A committee typically results in the violating bar being put on an abatement plan for a year, which is a probationary period to improve their conduct. This plan typically focuses on education, which could include making the staff get trained in checking IDs, making bar staff have to report any suspicious behavior to the police, and filling out paperwork. The police continue enforcement on bars during their abatement plan period, and continued citations can lead to liquor license revocation.
Tequilas restaurant on West Ave. was put on an abatement plan in 2025 for being very welcoming to and serving underage customers. Going to Tequilas for margaritas was a well known destination for underage college students for many years, being located across the street from campus and close to student housing. During this abatement time period, police found underage customers consuming alcohol on the premises during a bar check and issued citations. The bar chose to fight these tickets in circuit court, knowing that if found guilty, they would face revocation. The J&A committee last week voted to recommend not to renew Tequilas liquor license, which will be voted on this week to pass the recommendation and make it so Tequilas is no longer able to sell alcohol.
Similarly, Chuck’s Bar located on La Crosse Street, also close to campus and student housing, received 3 citations in the past year. One of them was issued as part of a “sting” where the underage volunteer showed their government issued ID that showed they were not 21, and the bartender upon checking it replied “Don’t you have a fake ID you can show me?” Congrats, bro, you’re a complete fu***ng idiot as voted on by a council consisting of me. As a result of receiving 3 citations in a year, the police designated Chuck’s a habitual nuisance property, and they have been put on a year long abatement plan. Chuck’s bar has since been listed for sale, along with an adjoining rental property next door, on Edina Realty’s website with an asking price of $799,900. We were not able to determine if this for sale listing was a result of the abatement plan, expected decrease in bar revenue, and potential license revocation if given another citation, or if the desire to sell is unrelated.
Finally, the Citgo gas station on State Road was also recommended by the J&A committee last week to not renew the licenses for alcohol, to***co or va**ng products, which will be voted on this week to pass at the same time as Tequilas. Citgo was involved in a raid by federal agents along with city police earlier in 2026 which generated gossip and paranoia on social media that ICE was in town. During the raid, agents found Citgo had unregulated b***r pills for sale behind the counter and cited them for it. Holy s**t, what a way to get taken down! These generic Vi**ra pills are prescription only and not for over-the-counter sales without the proper licensure. Also concerning to the agents were the legal products Citgo sold, including psychedelic mushrooms, “whippets” in multiple sizes, THC-A and Delta-8 products, and “drug paraphernalia” such as glass pipes. The J&A committee recommended this Citgo should not continue to sell alcohol, to***co products, or any of the “legal highs” they carried and were known for selling for many years.
Noticeably quiet during the proliferation of underage customers in bars the past several years, and the increased enforcement in the past year by the city to attempt to correct this, has been the local chapter of the Tavern League of Wisconsin. In an email with local President Joe Berra, when stating a complaint about the Tavern League condoning underage students in downtown bars, Berra replied with this very diplomatic response:
“I understand your frustration with the underage and the police department. I've heard this before from other bar owners downtown,along with the sting operations the police have had in the past..I will say that the Tavern League is on your side and agrees with you.however, we do not and have not had a good relationship with the previous mayors, city councils, and other leadership for some reason. Last month I finally got a half hour slot to speak with Mayor Spivey on some of our concerns, such as Mayor Reynolds taking away the saferide grant money from us and the sting operations for underage drinking and the sale of to***co products. .I believe our discussions went well. Time will tell. I do want you to know that we as a local league are trying to do the right thing for our members but speaking to deaf ears hasn't worked to this point. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to forward our conversation to the Lacrosse Police Dept. professional standards and community relations department. I try very hard to do what's right for our members. In the future, I'm always open for any suggestions or comments you may have. Thank you, Joe”
With the increase in enforcements, liquor licenses being revoked, abatement plans being issued, the question now frequently being asked is “who’s next?” How many downtown bars or other establishments in the city will begin tightening up security internally to avoid infractions? Or will they just get more slick with the cat ‘n’ mouse games that many places are known to play regarding serving minors? Time will tell.
To be continued…
