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Detroit’s Populux is Now Permanently Closed Following Social Media Controversy

The founder says the incident was the last straw.
Photo via Flickr user Jeremy Isaacson

After sparking a social media controversy, Detroit nightclub Populux is closing down its dancefloor for good. As local publication Detroit Free Press reports, the venue will return to its previous occupants, beloved indie and rock venue Magic Stick, in September.

Last week, Populux voluntarily shut down for what was initially a temporary period in order to investigate inflammatory content posted on their Twitter page after the Dallas shooting that left five police officers dead and seven others wounded. The tweets quickly spread throughout the Internet, resulting in artists who had been booked to play the club—including Vic Mensa, Hunter Siegel, and Bixel Boys—publicly canceling their respective shows in protest.

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The venue posted a response on both Twitter and Facebook, claiming the account was hacked, before deleting both accounts altogether. The club's staff maintains its innocence, as Free Press writes they filed a "John Doe" lawsuit (a lawsuit filed against an unknown party, aka the alleged hackers) this past Monday, as well as criminal complaints to the FBI.

Populux founder Amir Daiza told the Free Press that the incident isn't the first time the venue has drawn criticism from the community. Opened 15 months ago, Populux replaced the Magic Stick, which had been declining in revenue, as part of a local rebranding effort to cater to the growing dance music demand. However, local promoter Adriel Thronton said that there were concerns about its "authenticity and its programming," which in its brief tenure ranged from techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson to A-Trak-fronted collective Fool's Gold, to rapper Goldlink. Daiza admitted that it wasn't "the vision I was hoping for," but ultimately, the social media snafu was the final blow. Dave Zainea, who leased Daiza the space (his family owns the Majestic complex in which Populux was located), will take over the Magic Stick once it re-opens.

The social media reaction thus far is mostly positive, though manyTwitterusers are celebrating the return of Magic Stick rather than Populux's demise. That said, some are happy to see the the "racist Detroit venue [shut] down & re-opened as a rock n roll venue, where racism is presumably less obvious."

In the wake of this controversy, a new Populux account seems to have popped up on Twitter. Created on July 13, early posts indicate that the club was soon to re-open and host a free party, but it's not clear if the venue is actually behind the account. One post, possibly in response to the closure, was "Look what you did," in addition to highly unprofessional replies to other users as recently as two hours ago.

THUMP has reached out to Populux for a statement.