What’s the Deal With The Foundry Nightclub in Jackson, Michigan?
I want to start this off by saying that while nightclubs just have never really been my thing, this article has nothing against the Foundry in Jackson and is more about trying to get to the bottom of what is going on in that particular area of town.
About the Foundry Nightclub
If you talk to anyone in Jackson about the various bars and hotspots in town over the years, you will probably hear a hundred different names and places as they go on about their nostalgic nights out.
For this generation experiencing Jackson's night life, the Foundry (formerly known as the Rocket) is one of those places.
The Foundry, located at 216 Francis St. in Downtown Jackson, opened in 2013 (CLICK HERE for MLive story). I had never really heard much about it until I reached my 20's and was able to start going out to the bars.
A friend of mine loves that it is one of the only places in Jackson to go dance and she has actually established relationships with the really great staff there.
Sure, it's the type of place that is not everyone's cup of tea (or shot of whiskey) but to the people who enjoy going there, it's a staple for them to have a night out on the town.
Is There a Problem Here?
The first time I ever went to go to the Foundry with my friend, her mom told us to be careful...which I was confused about until I started hearing stories from people who had been there and seeing local news coverage about various scary things happening.
One time my friend got punched in the head there while just standing by the bar, another time I was told I should order a beer because it is served in bottles there and it would be easier to cover it with my thumb while we walked around.
There have also been plenty of stories over the years of people having similar experiences. Now, sketchy things happen at nightclubs all over the state, country and even the world. Maybe that's what's going on here, but what if it's something else?
Again, this is not to disparage the bar or it's staff at all. Just observations and trying to explore what the problem may be.
The Most Recent Shooting
There have been other strange, violent occurrences at or around this bar, most recently, one in July.
MLive, citing a release from the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney, Jerry Jarzynka, reports on July 18th a male victim was involved in a physical altercation in the nightclub's parking lot. Two other men shot the victim with handguns and injured two other female bystanders as well.
In September, almost exactly two months since the shooting, the 24-year-old suspect has now been formally charged with multiple offenses that MLive reports, include: "three counts of assault with intent to murder, and single counts of carrying a concealed weapon, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm."
Who/What is to Blame Here?
It's easy to blame the bar itself...but as someone who has been there before, I don't think the bar itself has anything to do with perpetuating these issues or anything like that.
Again, this could just be my opinion, which is what brings me to my main question here, what do you think?
Could it be the area the bar is located in? Could it be the people who hang out there? OR could it just be we are reading into it too much and just understand these things happen sometimes and leave it alone?
It really is a fun place to be, the staff is super awesome, could it just be a few bad apples that are giving this place its negative reputation?
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