SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Outraged neighbors are coming together to discuss the fate of the North Park Observatory. This comes after a rapper was sucker-punched on stage last month that lead to a brawl and stabbing at the venue.
Now, local businesses, residents, and management from The Observatory are meeting to address concerns surrounding crime and other complaints.
Steve Blasingham loves this North Park neighborhood.
"Tamarindo we're right here, directly across the street from us is The Observatory and we think they're a great neighbor," he said.
A good neighbor and good for business.
"It brings business. People park in the parking lot, people go eat at the restaurants, before and after, they go drink at the bars before an after."
Back in June, a brawl broke out during a rap concert onstage. The performer was knocked to the ground, security guards threw punches, and a 19-year-old was stabbed as crowds flooded the street.
For Blasingham, it's not a big concern.
"Whether it be a Padres game or a Chargers game or wherever you got a group of people, every once in a while something is going to happen."
He says neighbors shouldn't be worried either.
"I can only see really one house that would be within, would even hear it."
It may be hard to regulate which performers to bring in and which ones to keep out.
"You can't say okay this kind of music is okay, but that one's not because this is a bad element. That's kind of being not equal to everybody."
Meanwhile, management at The Observatory has been on damage control ever since that brawl broke out.
General Manager Paris Landen says since they reopened under new management in 2014, they've had about 500 shows with just that one incident.
"Obviously we're listening to the responses from the community, and we're working with our security consultants to try to have the best plan in place and run the safest operation we can."
Landen says their current security measures include an excess of security guards, doing pat-downs at the door, no re-entry and hiring off-duty police officers.
Thursday night's meeting was organized by the district's council member Chris Ward, San Diego Police and the venue's management.
