After repeated complaints of underage drinking and drug abuse during parties at The Loft, the Selma City Council voted Tuesday to revoke the facility’s business license.

Selma Chief of Police William T. Riley said he brought the issue to the council because he felt it needed to be dealt with immediately.

“This is something we can’t tolerate. It’s unacceptable,” he said. “We’re trying to revamp the downtown area and we want to keep everyone safe.”

The business, which is located at 1113 Alabama Ave., is not a club, Riley said. The business was often rented out for parties.

The city, Riley said, is not on a mission to shut clubs down. However, he said these establishments must obey the law or risk losing their licenses.

Riley said he was pleased to have the support of the council and hopes the decision will bring closure to the problems.

“We’re very happy about it,” he said. “It’s all about public safety. The things that are going on, it’s just too much. Hopefully this will serve as a wakeup call to others that we are not going to tolerate underage drinking and drugs.”

Similar businesses and clubs in Selma should take notice, Riley said. The department plans to continue to monitor clubs and parties to make sure celebrations remain within the law.

“They have to be held responsible for what happens,” he said. “If someone starts trouble, they need to ban them. We are going to continue our spot checks to keep downtown safe.”

Selma Mayor George Evans echoed Riley’s sentiments, saying they support Selma businesses, but everyone has to play by the rules.

“It’s a public safety issue really,” he said. “We just want to send a message to the clubs that you have to obey the law. We can’t have drugs and minors in there drinking. We just want to keep people safe.”