Wow, that's a really amazing letter, thanks for posting it Mike - you should post in on Famous to get some real talk going.

Man, runing a bar/rest' is scary stuff. Very risky and tough on a person.

The future of Fagan's does sound glum. Carrie's letter was heartfelt... not a perfect press release, but it conveyed more by its authenticity.

I'm glad it succeeded as long as it did, and hope that she finds a way to keep it going and fix the ongoing problems.

Thank you for posting the letter.

I just want to know what we have to do to save Fagan's.

The food was wonderful! The music Great! And I have always had a great time when I have been there.

I don't want Fagan's to close, I am willing to do my part, whatever I can.

Emma

BRAVO! and HUZZAH, to you, and yours Carrie. Fresno, has NEVER had a sense of itself other than a backward Hicktown. I have been a part of downtown Fresno, for 52 years. I know from where i speak, It is run by a bunch of politically correct,Babyfied, Chicken boned, limp wristed Trumpet Monkeys! that would'nt know inovation if it bit them squarely on their collective ARSES. Carrie, win, loose or draw, you had the Intestinal fortitude to attempt a big, and bold project, Fall back and re-group. You can never keep a good women down. for Especially as talented as you are! { and a curse upon the Fresno City Council}

Sadly, the out-of-control cops are destroying the entertainment industry in this town with their stupid revenue-enhancement checkpoints, GPS units under car bumpers and other fascist behavior.

I don't drink, but I don't stay out late. Why? The hassles of dealing with moronic cops.

The latest gimmick the Fresno Revenue Enhancers have come up with is arresting bar patrons without ID, EVEN if the bar staff knows them. Don't leave home without your ID and go drink--you might end up in jail.

Carrie's letter though rambling and rife with misspellings is heartfelt I am sure, but I wanted to add my two cents incase there is a more skilled person willing to take up the cause of a great pub in downtown Fresno--I do not want that mystery investor to accept at face value what Carrie asserts is the cause of her demise...
Fagans was a great venue and I believe Fresno can support such a place. I am an over fifty person who happens to live north of Herndon, but am a bohemian/adventurer at heart.I tried to support and enjoy going to Fagans, but my experiences there were remarkable for the terrible service and the transparent hostility of the owner. You could NOT get a drink--and I mean wine or alcohol, not the alledged water with lemon. Wait staff was rude, even when approached with understanding--and Carrie was amoung the rudest. Her scowl was reknowned and she was verbally caustic for no apparent reason to me personally on two occassions. The food could be good at times, but quality was uneven. Special events (e.g. Valentines' day, events with Fresno Folklore Society} were poorly explained/advertised and capriciously executed.
Carrie also failed to realize that the musician community is small and relatively tight knit in Fresno--she managed to insult or abuse several of the revered members of this select group.
To repeat myself, I bear no personal ill will to Carrie, but wanted to share this in the event there is someone out there who can correct some of the glaring problems that caused Fagan's to fail under her ownership. Fresno IS ready and we need more cosmopolitan venues!

Yeah, dont go out and break the law you might end up in jail. Quit your whinning!

I cant believe people are getting all pissed off because the police are doing their job.

They are not telling anyone they cant drink. They are just trying to get people to be resposible about it.

They definetly arent the reason Fagans is closing. Bars and restaurants close all the time.

Was it the cops fault when "Buns" didnt make it, was it the cops fault when the "Diamond Casino" didnt make it. Maybe, just maybe its a bad location.

Are they, Abe? The Fresno cops didn't give a darn about traffic enforcement UNTIL they got the majority of the fine money. Did you know the motorcycle cops are self-financed off the fines from the tickets they write? They are.

Are the cops more motivated by municipal greed than by concern for public safety?

Aren't they, Dan? Are you saying that they are making up charges. If you are, do you have proof that the people they pull over haven't broken the law. Until that is proven, it doesn't matter how much money they bring in. As long as people keep breaking the law, police should continue to write tickets. Thats the way its supposed to work.

It's odd that you worry about public safety, when your fighting so hard for the people that wish to drink irresposibly. Whether it be by driving or drinking without proof that they are of age.

Abe, as a matter of fact, they have made charges up--one cop made up a law that didn't exist and wrote tickets. He got caught after someone contested the cite. Other cops have written citations for school zone speed violations that occurred when schools weren't in session--like on the weekend!.

The City's being sued right now for allegedly illegally collecting money from people cleared of DUI charges. State law permits the billing of people for the costs of "emergency response"--AFTER conviction. The City is billing and taking people to collections regardless of how their case turned out.

FPD has a relationship with a group that even the Radical Right describes as a "hate group"--MADD. Unfortunately MADD has become a Prohibitionist advocacy group (this according to the Center for Consumer Freedom--a rightwing think tank) that wants to criminalize any consumption of alcohol and driving.

Abe, you're a sheep ripe for sheering.

One cop in a force of how many, your painting the whole dept with one broad stroke there my friend! But then again, if one does it the whole dept must be doing it, right.

"Allegedly illegally", enough said.

What does the "radical right" have to do with this. Did Carrie forget to blame them too. Soon you'll be telling us that Carl Rove himself is to blame for Fagans closing down.

As far as MADD goes, there are plenty of radical ideas from all walks of life, that doesn't mean any of them will ever become reality.

Anyway......back to our regularly scheduled program: I'll miss Fagan's if it shuts down. It was a great venue for music and some comfort food. If it stays open I'll try to get there more often and appreciate what we had.

Mike,

Thanks for posting this. I have visited Fagans on several occasions to watch my favorite local groups and have found it to be quite a nice place.

As for the two debaters...give it up already. Both of you are so far from center that it's scary. The world is run by people like you. That's why we are in this situation in the first place. Find a happy medium, compromise, GIVE PEACE A CHANCE. Instead of finding someone to blame and take your aggression on, why not be civil and open your mind to some other points of view. Isn't it worth a shot?

Peace

"As for the two debaters...give it up already. Both of you are so far from center that it's scary. The world is run by people like you. That's why we are in this situation in the first place."

The center is for people that can be talked out of what they know to be right. Which is a sad place to be. But by all means have fun while your there.

As for the blame game..... Carrie started it! Sarcasm intended.

Unfortunately, Tyler, the City of Fresno has made life very difficult for the adult antertainment industry in Fresno. It appears the city would prefer that clubs and bars close.

As I mentioned earlier, the ID issue. I surveyed several bars, and it seems there may be selective enforcement of this--which might border on harassment.

One Tower District venue had its patio closed by the police even though there had been no complaints and the paperwork indicated no restrictions on when the patio could be open.

Another club had its conditional use permit held up for ever-changing reasons for over a year. The owner decided to switch from beer/wine to general on-sale and the fun was on with the city.

I'm involved with a major annual community event. We (the event organizing community) have been told events in the Tower District are regarded unfavorably by certain politicians down at City Hall.

And, the cops have trouble observing ethical behavior at times.

Abe was the one who made an issue of what I had to say. I wasn't debating him. He is a sheep ready to be sheered.

Thanks for sharing this, Mike. I think this recent event is Exhibit A for the myriad things that keep Fresno from becoming a desirable place to live for the people who will allow it to survive and grow.

Fresno's government is the epitome of irony. There have been numerous reports, commissions, meetings and recommendations... all presenting excellent ideas aimed at making Fresno better and more economically healthy (even vibrant!). Officials give lip service to the idea of keeping young people here and encouraging business, job growth, creativity and innovation, yet their actions and public policy decisions ensure exactly the opposite.

I grew up here, left, and moved back after living in the amazing city of Washington DC. After less than a year, I am more than ready to go back. I gave Fresno a chance, thinking that maybe even 4 or 5 of the hundreds of great ideas might actually be adopted, and hoping that I could offer some of my own experience living in an area with thriving nightlife, great public transportation, and public policy consistent with its vision for the future. Boy was I mistaken.

Having lived and worked here for only a short time, I now fully understand why most people who are young, talented and educated leave Fresno for places that actually value them and allow them to thrive.

Young people want to live in places where there are things to do past 8:00pm. They want excitement and energy. I work downtown, and even I rarely stay after 5 for the simple fact that there aren't many good places to go. And with all due respect to Fagan's, most people (including me) went there because it was the only option, not necessarily for the food. (Granted, I am spoiled coming from an area with some of the best pubs and restaurants in the country, but there are many factors which contribute to the failure of a business.)

Side note: Upstairs Downtown is one extremely notable exception to the downtown restaurant scene with excellent food, atmosphere and service, but also another example that even stellar, high-quality restaurants are struggling to survive downtown.

Food and service aside, there are things that must be changed in order to make Downtown hospitable to business, entertainment and nightlife; and Fresno hospitable to intelligent, successful young people.

I hope that the City will get its act together sooner rather than later, but I'm not holding my breath. I think I'll book my plane ticket instead.

Carolyn--you've hit the nail on the head!

Fresno government has become dominated with Christianists (alleged Christians who have turned their religious beliefs into their politics) who want to impose their morality on everyone else. One council member recently said during a meeting, "we want to make it as hard as possible for these kinds of businesses to open." He was referring to businesses catering to adult entertainment, including bars and clubs.

In 2004, certain city politicians did not want the annual gay parade to take place. Three days before the event, AFTER all permits had been approved and issued to the organizers, the police department pulled the Special Event permit, saying it had been issued in error. The organizers had realized during the months leading up to the parade that little roadblocks were being tossed in their path. Ultimately, we mobilized the local news media and a friendly city council person's office and the cops had a hallway of news cameras. A certain lieutenant and captain (both of whom have moved on to bigger things) weren't real happy with being faced by media--but that's what it took to have the 2004 parade. Since then, there have been changes at Central policing district, and we have a great working relationship with the cops. The city hall staff at permits have always been great to work with.

If we (the community) could keep the politicians from meddling with the entertainment business, it would be wonderful.

Hi everyone-im Erin and I worked as a waitress at Fagan's the last 9 months it was open. I just read Carrie's letter and I can't do anything but shake my head in disgust. For the sake of trying not to ramble I am only going to address the most disturbing lie in that letter, the one about her employees stealing from her. First of all there were no thieving waitresses in employment during my time working at Fagan's, except Carrie! She not only refused to pay the entire staff for its last two weeks of work in her establishment, she lied to us about the closing of Fagan's for five days which conveniently allowed her enough time to file banktruptcy before we knew we had to file with the labor board-negating our chances of ever being paid. She returned my call once to let me know, and i quote, "I don't owe you an explanation, I don't owe you a paycheck, I OWE YOU NOTHING!" Then she hung up and changed her phone number! Please believe me Fresno-Carrie Fagan is not our kind of irish!!
ps-There is a REAL IRISH PUB in Fresno, it's called Moynahan's Pub on marks and herndon. I'm there 6 nights a week and I pour a PERFECT PINT everytime! much love-Peace!