Six Prince George’s clubs allowed to stay open

Five of the clubs – Tick Tock and Cuzco in Langley Park, Millenium in Hyattsville, Crossroads in Bladensburg and Le Pearl in Capitol Heights - challenged the closure in court Friday and got a temporary restraining order to keep their businesses open over the weekend. Those five clubs, along with the Knights of Columbus in Forestville, then reached an agreement with the county to keep their doors open while they draft security plans.

‘‘This really is a historic agreement, and it’s the nightclubs acknowledging that there is a problem and saying they want to partner with us to solve the problem,” Johnson spokesman John Erzen said.

He said it was too early to tell what those security plans would specifically address other than issues such as lighting and landscaping.

Classics and Tradewinds in Camp Springs and CFE in Forestville were also closed last week. But CFE and Classics attorney Jim Bell said those two clubs were reopened Monday.

Bell said the clubs have not admitted fault, and that his clients have provided security on their site for years.

‘‘There was no imminent danger because we’re still open,” Bell said.

The enforcement sweep last week drew a high level of criticism from club owners, club-goers and community activists who said Johnson was unfairly blaming the clubs for a widespread crime problem. More than 40 people have been killed in Prince George’s so far this year.

Tick Tock owner Amrik Singh Melhi said his business was not responsible for the crime county officials claimed Tick Tock was attracting.

Officials said there were 21 assaults, six robberies and several other crimes last year near Tick Tock. But Melhi said he has private security on his property at all times, and that residents in the neighborhood see his store as a safe haven from other crime in Langley Park.

Kevin Williams, who serves on the Port Towns Community Development Corporation, said Crossroads should not be punished for crime in the area, either.

‘‘When you have any incident that takes place anywhere near a club, the club will take the blame for it ... but I think you have to go to the root of the problem,” Williams said.