Seattle groups trying to block extended bar hours in Washington
SEATTLE — The possibility of Seattle bars staying open past the statewide 2 a.m. closing time is on the rocks. Opposition is building in Precinct Advisory Councils across the city.
They’re influential because they report neighborhood concerns directly to police administration.
“I think there’s a lot of concern,” said Laine Ross who represents all of downtown, including the party hotspots of Pioneer Square and Belltown.
She says people are opposed because of the possibility of more noise, crime and drunks on the streets–not to mention how police would handle it all.
“Well, you’re really creating a 24-hour drinking environment,” she says. “What is the police resource drain? How are we impacting residents?”
The idea is to avoid the the mass exodus of people out of the bars and onto the streets at 2 a.m.–a situation that often overwhelms police. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn stands by his belief that staggering bar closing times will make the situation more manageable by diluting the the number of drinkers leaving the bars over a several hour time span.
“2 a.m. isn’t working for us,” he says. ”There would be select nightclubs with a strong public safety record that would be able to stay open longer. That would make it easier for us to protect public safety on the streets.”
But so far, at least three of the city’s five Precinct Advisory Councils, including Capitol Hill’s, are urging the State Liquor Control Board to toss the proposal out. They say there are just too many unanswered questions.
“Would it be city-wide or in certain neighborhoods?” Asks Ross. “If there was a pilot program, where would it be? Would there be a magnet effect for people to converge where the bars stay open? What impact would that have on a neighborhood?”
Other issues include making sure people have safe late-night options, like public transportation, for getting home without driving, and who would pay for that.
Bar owner David Meinert calls the opposition “a bit hysterical.” He says right now the State Liquor Control Board is simply being asked to give cities the option of extending their hours. A city could even vote to close bars earlier. The details would be worked out on a local level.
“Keeping things the same, as the precinct advisory people want to do, isn’t a practical solution. We can’t keep it the same,” said Meinert. “There’s a public safety issue now in Seattle that we have to address.”
The board could vote on the issue as soon as the end of January. A public comment period is open until December 1st.
For more information on how to comment on this issue click here.
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Article source: http://www.krem.com/news/Seattle-groups-trying-to-block-extended-bar-hours-in-Washington-134045658.html