Introduction to the Issue
PILSEN — The owner of controversial Pilsen bar Caminos de Michoacan said he is complying with city rules after a fatal shootout outside his establishment late last year — but city officials said the bar violated a safety plan and other ordinances in the months since.
Background on the Bar’s Safety Issues
Salvador Torres Jr., who owns Caminos de Michoacan at 1659 W. Cullerton St., assured neighbors at a Monday community meeting that he’s doing what he can to ensure safety and follow city requirements for his bar. But some attendees expressed concerns about violence resuming there as summer — and the potential end of a safety plan negotiated with the city — approaches. The city will determine the bar’s future next month.
Community Reaction and Police Assessment
“I gotta give Caminos some credit. This is not all bad, but with the good, there’s bad,” 12th District Cmdr. James Baier told more than two dozen attendees at the community meeting, which was organized by neighbors and held at St. Pius V Church. Caminos de Michoacan was forced to temporarily close after a December shootout outside the bar left one man dead and two others wounded.
Details of the Safety Plan Violations
Some neighbors called on the city to permanently shut down the bar, citing safety concerns and increasing violence. The city allowed the bar to reopen under a safety plan that went into effect Feb. 11. The plan’s requirements included reducing business hours, limiting capacity to 50 people, hiring a security firm and scanning patrons for weapons. After a March 15 inspection, police and city business department officials issued three administrative citations for violating the safety plan, failing to provide liquor liability insurance and smoking in a public place, police said.
Overcrowding and Other Violations
More details were revealed at Monday’s meeting, where police said the most significant violation of the plan was overcrowding. Baier said that police found more than 100 people at the bar during the March 15 inspection, well above the 50-person limit set in the safety plan.
Salvador Torres Jr., Caminos de Michoacan owner, speaks in a community meeting organized by neighbors about the Pilsen bar, as seen on April 28, 2025. Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Owner’s Response to Violations
But Torres disputed that count, saying there were no more than 50 people at the bar and adding that security footage from 20 minutes before and after the inspection backed him up. “My security team had 50 people in my establishment. I personally counted 48, so that’s up to a judge to decide if I was over,” Torres said.
Additional Issues and Concerns
The city’s building department also found code violations during the inspection, Baier said. The bar’s back door was locked when it should have been open, the hot water tank’s exhaust was not properly vented, inspectors found exposed electric wiring, the bar lacked carbon monoxide detectors and its doors were not fire resistant, he said. Torres said that some of the building violations were fixed a day after the March inspection, while accusing the city of “looking for anything to get me.”
Community Concerns and Future of the Bar
With the approach of summer — when Chicago tends to see increases in violent crime — and the bar’s initial 90-day probation period ending in mid-May, several neighbors said they were concerned about the future for the area surrounding the bar. The city’s Law Department will make a decision on the bar’s future after its probationary period ends, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) said. City officials will review the bar and can set disciplinary actions and can recommend extending the probationary period, lifting restrictions or permanently closing the bar, Sigcho-Lopez said. Other neighbors said they had seen some improvements at Caminos and think the bar owner is doing his best while trying to keep his business and family legacy going — but they remain cautious given the bar’s safety plan violations and recurring issues from some patrons.
Ongoing Issues with Patrons
Neighbors have reported littering, people drinking on the sidewalk outside the bar, patrons urinating in the alleys and parking hardships as patrons take up residential spaces. Neighbor Claudia Vailant said she’s concerned that, with summer coming, Caminos will be part of bar crawls and the problems with patrons will continue. “My concern is there are all those bar crawls,” Vailant said at the meeting. “I’ve seen it before. There are no [portable toilets] outside. They’re leaving their garbage, their bottles, and we have to clean up after them.”
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