Remembering Laura Garza

My intern Mary Wolff and I were on our way to a New York Nightlife board meeting being held at M2 on 28th Street when I noticed what looked like a protest outside of Marquee nightclub. I told the cabbie to stop, and we bolted out to see what the ruckus was about. A dozen people were holding up banners and posters about Laura Garza, a Brooklyn woman who was last seen leaving Marquee exactly six months before. I asked Awilda Cordero a few questions, and she told me it was important to keep people aware that Laura was "still missing and to come forth with any information they may have.” The high June sun washed out the light from the candlelight vigil underlined the washed-out hopes of the gathering. Laura's fate is, unfortunately, probably a foregone conclusion.

I noted to Ms. Cordero that at first glance the gathering seemed like some sort of protest. “Oh no, the people at Marquee have been very cooperative from the beginning. Owners and management have done all they can.” She said that there was “no problem with the club, it’s just that this was the last place Laura was seen”. Laura Garza was by all accounts a “friendly, open and kind person,” who had come to New York to pursue her dream of being a dancer. She met 23-year-old Michael Mele at Marquee; Mele, a multi-convicted sex offender, is described as a “person of interest” by the police. There was no way for Laura to know this. There was no way for Marquee’s ultra-professional door staff to see his demons. Maybe the world has gotten too PC and some sort of mark needs to carved into these grunts’ foreheads to show us their intentions and past deeds, but no sort of warning sign was there. Ms. Cordero told me that “he was supposed to take her home to Brooklyn, but instead he took her upstate.” It is in the woods of Northern Orange County where the volunteer firemen, police, friends, strangers, and family looked for Laura. “We’re going to have a float at the Puerto Rican day parade. I’m Puerto Rican,” Ms. Cordero proudly told me, fighting back tears. After six months she’s gotten good at it. “We gotta keep people aware of Laura.”

I’m just a nightlife blogger, and in that limited scope I’ll make a few observations. Marquee, by all accounts, did everything right, cooperated with all involved, and showed a degree of professionalism that is very common in nightlife today. The meeting I went to after this chilling encounter was a large group of nightlife people headed by the tireless Robert Bookman and David Rabin. The agenda of this meeting basically boiled down to promoting cooperation between the police and community and the powers that be within the nightlife community. The great majority of the people running the shows at venues around town are solid people like those at Marquee. However, a few rogue types and greedy yokels who have no business being in the business have hurt everyone. There is no doubt that police commissioner Ray Kelly has reached out, and a new era of cooperation is at hand. In the past, police crackdowns after similar incidents have crippled business. Although there are some obvious differences, The Falls was closed after the murder of Imette St. Guillen. Yes, it was at the hand of an employee with a record—Darryl Littlejohn, who was convicted earlier this month—but the question lingers about what could have the owners done to prevent this. The answer—mandatory background checks for security—might have helped, but maybe it could have been a bouncer with a clean slate who did this horrible deed as well.

Jennifer Moore’s death after a night of underage drinking at Guesthouse caused a blockage of 27th Street, continuous police presence, and a change in the quality of the nightlife on the block, and not for the better. Jennifer Moore used her sister’s ID; she could have gotten past airport security with it. She left the club, found out her car was towed, and went to the pound, where police, seeing her in a drunken state, didn’t give her the car. She wandered out onto the West Side Highway and was kidnapped and killed. They didn’t close the police pound or fire the cops who let her drift away; instead, Guesthouse and the neighboring clubs took the heat. Even though she was never sold a drink and no summons or even a lawsuit resulted, the 27th Street nightlife mall was virtually wrecked.

A responsible and cooperative nightlife community working with New York City agencies can help the public protect themselves from all sorts of predators who see the crowds as opportunities. Distribution of information—like the police department’s ”Nightlife Safety Tips” pamphlet may indeed help some poor soul down the line. Anyway, let’s take a moment and pray for Laura Garza, and may her family and friends and all of us find some sort of comfort in God’s love.

If you have any information about Laura Garza or her disappearance, please call Jan Golding, (845) 344-5300; or Awilda Cordero, (718) 401-4192, , www.emergencyrights.com.