For years, Sixth Street Bar and Grill has been struggling to keep its liquor license and to keep the doors open. Now, it might be closing permanently and students are not happy with this possibility.

Nigel Cribbs, senior mathematics major, was shocked with the news of Sixth Street’s possible closure.

“Monroe and Sixth Street go hand in hand, you can’t have one without the other. It’s been around since I started attending ULM and I have faith it will still be around long after I’m gone,” Cribbs said.

Cribbs also said that he thinks the bar will always have a strong following that he doesn’t think will ever be replaced and that he is thankful for all the memories he’s made there.

“To the owners of Sixth Street Bar, thank you for providing a fun environment for my friends and I to enjoy, my only hope is to see you guys continue to succeed,” Cribbs said.

In 2013, the bar’s license was revoked but Sixth Street sued the City of Monroe, a settlement was reached and the bar continued operations. The bar’s license was revoked again late last year by a city council vote and the city was sued again. Now the trial awaits a verdict.

Monroe’s City Council voted to cancel the bar’s liquor license in December, citing complaints from home and business owners nearby. Many of them have complained about loud music, guests urinating in yards and inappropriate behavior taking place in cars surrounding the bar’s premises.

Sixth Street was also cited twice last year for selling alcohol to minors and selling alcohol contaminated by debris and fruit flies by the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC).

Mark Neal, an attorney representing the bar, said that current residents in the same neighborhood as Sixth Street Bar knew of the bar when they moved to the neighborhood. Sixth Street has been in operation at the same location since 1945, however it was formally known as Duffy’s Tavern.

Neal doesn’t just see the bar and its owners as a client. He is fighting to keep the bar open for personal reasons too.

“I spent a great deal of my college days in this bar, I have fond memories,” Neal said.

Evidence introduced in the trial established that numerous bars have been cited twice or more in the last three years for selling alcohol to minors. At least thirty bars and restaurants have also been cited at least once, and each of the businesses were approved by the city council to renew their applications.

“No evidence was offered of any kind suggesting Sixth Street Saloon to be a disorderly place,” the trial memorandum said.

Tyler Buccola, a senior health studies marketing and management major and member of the band “Fringe’s Forte,” has played at Sixth Street several times over the years.  He said that the bar’s potential closure would take away college students’ jobs.

“In all of my time there, I have never seen any of these allegations first hand…having that establishment close down would be a shame,” Buccola said.

Although Judge Alvin Sharp sought to rule by Feb. 29, the trial verdict still awaits.