Edmonton Journal
Saturday, August 30, 2003
Page: H8
Section: Ed
Byline: Olivia Cheng
Source: Freelance

Walking through the doors of Edmonton's notorious Cristal Lounge is like going through airport security.

Patrons are patted down for weapons. Bouncers in stark black "Security" shirts run metal detectors over bodies. Purses are examined for questionable contents. As partygoers comply and raise their arms to be frisked, no one questions the need for such safety checks, perhaps because the club they're about to enter has an infamous reputation.

But while co-owner and manager Vince Ngu admits it is known as "a rough club" that's grabbed headlines for high-profile violent incidents, he says Cristal must be doing something right to survive for six years in Edmonton's competitive club scene.

In October 2001, 16-year-old Moriese Laing was gunned down in a back alley a block away from the bar, but because the murder happened so close to Cristal, and because Laing was a regular patron, it was forever associated with the murder.

There have been other incidents: a non-fatal stabbing in 1999, two non-fatal shootings in 1998, the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Kasadaya Sasorith in 1996 when Cristal was known as Club Rio.

Yet the location, at 10336 Jasper Ave., has proven its staying power, and Ngu is quick to point out how other nightclubs haven't been so fortunate. "A few months (after Laing's shooting) there was a shooting at The Drink and a shooting at Barry T's, and they shut down because of that. Us, we're still going."

On a recent Saturday summer night, Cristal shows no signs of slowing. It's packed with urban-music fans eager for a fix of hip-hop, reggae and R&B joints. Guys sport baggy jeans and flashy tracksuits. Women shake it in hip-hugging skirts and cleavage-baring tanks. The ripe air mixes the haze of cigarette smoke and the unmistakable smell of something herbal.

Ngu says his patrons' loyalty to Cristal -- and its music format -- explains the club's longevity.

"From five, six years ago, we were the only club in Edmonton that actually played hip-hop and R&B," he said.

Adrian Allder, a 29-year-old local who now works as a territorial corrections officer in Nunavut, says Cristal's devotion to urban tunes keeps him coming back despite his own "crazy night" at the club years ago.

"Basically, somebody hit my friend in the face with a bottle. Punches were thrown and from there it kind of escalated and bottles were thrown, and we ended up having to run out the door because they were pelting bottles at us. But it didn't stop me and it didn't stop my friends from coming back."

Allder says he's otherwise comfortable there because the crowd is largely composed of visible minorities.

"Here, we're the majority if you're black, if you're Asian," he says.

"A lot of Caucasian people take this for granted, but it's nice not to be a minority, to be among a large group of people that are your own race."

In fact, fellow patron Krista Sveinson says that, as "a white girl," she sticks out in her favourite club. The 26-year-old marketing director concedes she often gets flak for hanging out at Cristal.

"I have had co-workers say: 'Oh, you should stay away from that place. It has gangs.' "

Sveinson, too, is aware of the club's violent image from personal experience: she knew Sasorith. But she believes the media has unfairly perpetuated Cristal's negative reputation.

"When you have a bunch of minorities congregating in one spot, that's what brings the attention, because they associate gang violence with minorities in this city," she says.

Police spokesman Wes Bellmore says downtown beat officers regularly drop in on Cristal and sometimes "have problems at closing time" when patrons spill onto the street.

But Bellmore stresses it's hard to say whether Cristal has an unusually high number of problems compared to other nightclubs. The biggest frustration for police, says Bellmore, is they often "don't hear about problems at the club until a few days later. And it's always through a roundabout source we learn there's been problems, assaults."

But on this Saturday, danger, real or imagined, seems far from patrons' minds as they groove to the beats.

As Ngu watches a group of rowdy men with beer-fuelled voices enter the digs, he insists Cristal is a safe place to party.

"It's all about the music and the vibe. And, like I said, we've been around six years so we must be doing something right."

olivia.cheng@globaltv.ca
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