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DiFi and Bennett - The No Fun Policy [UPDATED] |
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Um, WTF?
Dear Mayor Fenty and Council Chairman Gray:
We are writing today to urge that City Council and the Mayor reverse emergency legislation approved by the Council last week that permits nightclubs, bars and restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages until 5 a.m. for four nights during the Inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President.
With projections as high as 4 million people planning to visit the city during this time period, we are deeply concerned that the plan approved by the City Council could seriously strain law enforcement resources that need to be focused on the large crowds and security requirements of the Inaugural and its impact on the City.
There is great cause for celebration at this historic event. But we believe that the benefits of this emergency legislation, passed with little public notice, are far outweighed by its possible consequences.
We understand the pressures you face from the different constituencies in your city. But we also know the importance of standing firm to ensure the safety of residents, workers and visitors who will be in Washington, D.C., participating in this historic event.”
Sincerely,
Robert F. Bennett Dianne Feinstein
For those who don’t know the context, the DC City Council passed a law allowing bars and restaurants to stay open until 5 am throughout the inauguration, in effect letting them stay open 24 hours a day.
So, why are DiFi and Bennett being the no fun police?
Their reasoning is seriously flawed. Bars in DC are allowed to stay open until 2 am normally (3 am on weekends). These Senators claim that the extra three hours will “seriously strain law enforcement resources that need to be focused on the large crowds and security requirements of the Inaugural and its impact on the City.” While it’s true that there will be a ton of people in DC for the inauguration, the large crowd-control events that will need the most police presence will be taking place during the day, not during the 2 am - 5 am window. And besides, what presents more of a challenge for law enforcement - people drinking in bars from 2 am - 5 am, or people partying on the streets during that time period?
If we’ve learned anything from our experiment with prohibition (and our disastrous drug war) it’s that people will party whether we want them to or not. Just because bars close at 2 am in DC during the inauguration does not mean people will go home. Personally, I’d rather have them enjoying themselves in law-abiding, regulated city establishments (bringing in tourism dollars!) than imbibing at impromptu “speakeasies,” street corners, and back alleys all over the city.
UPDATE:
We’ve got a petition and a facebook group for you all to take action! Go!
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Good post, hopefully they’re little letter won’t result in taking away a few hours of fun from the celebration. However, where’s the call to action/next step to tell them to back off and/or reassure the mayor and city council tht they have the backing of their constituency and the rest of the country?
http://savetheparties.com/
I think its fine to take Sen. Feinstein’s advice but I trust that in the future any regulations affecting bars in San Francisco and Los Angeles will be submitted to the DC City Council.