The Matrix is one business Pageland can afford to lose

You’ll forgive me if I don’t shed a tear for The Matrix.
The shooting that took place Sept. 2 was just an exclamation point on an already violent saga. My experience with local police reports over the years turned up two interesting trends — many of the people involved with trouble at the club aren’t from Pageland, and too many of them were underage. The only people that benefited from the continued existence of The Matrix were its owners, hospitals, funeral homes and newspapers (like it or not, stories about violence are always a big seller.)
But that doesn’t mean I’m not troubled about how the business came to a close. Even under the best circumstances, it’s not a good thing when government takes action to close down a privately owned business. I have to wonder if there were other options available, and there are still a great many questions unanswered —
How did The Matrix continue to receive a business license?
How did it get chartered as a private club?
And where was the Pageland Police Department in all of this? The chaotic nature of the club put local law enforcement at risk on a regular basis (it’s a wonder the police officer present for the most recent shooting wasn’t injured himself) yet I never heard any opinions from administration about The Matrix.
The Matrix seemed to be nothing more than a magnet for trouble, drawing all kinds of bad behavior from across state and county lines. Owner Michael Truesdale was under the impression that he was not responsible for anything that took place outside his nightclub, the parking lot included. I might credit his belief as merely incompetent if the effect hadn’t proven to be monstrous. People have been seriously injured in the parking lot, and surrounding businesses have had nothing but complaints about the club’s clientele.
It was announced last week that, should the business try to re-open, the town would take the owners to court and have the nightclub deemed a public nuisance. Good riddance to bad rubbish … and don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

By Wallace McBride,
editor