Students. Fake ID’s. Bravo.
Raid?
The first three items sound like a typical Tuesday night for a majority of Fairfield students. However, a raid on Bravo Bar and Restaurant last Tuesday turned a night of fun into a night of mayhem.
The raid occurred at about 9:45 p.m. at Bravo, which is located at 1418 Post Road in downtown Fairfield. Members of the Connecticut Liquor Commission as well as the Fairfield Police Department entered the bar to find a staggering number of underage patrons. Only six patrons out of the 106 who were found with fake IDs have been charged thus far for being seen consuming or admitting to consuming alcohol. The rest must wait while the confiscated IDs are sorted through.
The Connecticut Post stated that, “Police Sgt. Jim Perez said that more than 65 fake driver’s licenses and other phony IDs were confiscated.”
Michael Constand, who is the manager of Bravo, told The Mirror in an exclusive interview, “I’m in full cooperation with the police to determine what has been done. Everyone that was here did present an ID of good quality and now we are just working with liquor control to figure out the outcome. It’s very hard to keep up with the technology of fake IDs.”
He continued by likening it to “steroids and drug testing. A new test comes out and doctors have a new steroid.”
He also said, “Bravo is going to be perusing a senior night so that students can still enjoy the establishment.”
Bravo has been a popular bar for Fairfield students and gained even more popularity after the Snickering Squirrel Saloon closed its doors to those under 21.
Sarah Ferri ‘10, who is a shot seller at Bravo and was working on Tuesday night, described the events as she saw them. “Walking outside, I noticed a lot more police cars in the parking lot across from Bravo as well as on the street.”
When she walked back into the bar, she saw little flash lights in the darkness and then saw the badges and realized that Bravo was being raided. She said she believes there were undercover cops, and she is not expecting it to be as busy come this Tuesday.
Although no one from the University responded to The Mirror’s questions by press time, the University did release a statement to ABC News last week on the incident.
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Thomas Pellegrino said in the statement, “This is of course troubling news, but it is something that college and university campuses across the country deal with. Although these matters occurred off campus, Fairfield University takes seriously its role in addressing this behavior both from a disciplinary as well as education standpoint.”
Along with Fairfield students, Sacred Heart University students and other underage students were caught at the raid.
One sophomore, who wanted to remain anonymous due to the sensitive issue, was present on Tuesday. “I was at the door when it happened. It was unreal how many cops pulled up. There were also Connecticut Liquor Authority in the jackets to watch everyone walk in,” he said.”
“I first thought it was probably a fight and cops coming in to break it up and then when I saw the jackets, I realized it was a real raid. I was kinda amazed that they had caught on that Bravo was all underage,” he continued.
Leave a Reply