Not as in, Reno’s done for but… downtown Reno may be getting a closing time.
City Council has asked for one prominent downtown bar, Second Street Bar (which is slated to become Gringo’s following an expansion in progress… more on that later), to close at 4 am and they have agreed to it, in exchange for getting a sidewalk abandonment to install a wheelchair ramp.
This blog has brought up the topic of closing time in Reno before – it’s a scary concept as a Native Nevadan, something vaguely unsettling about bars closing, however… it’s a good idea.
Downtown Reno nightlife can occasionally be quite intimidating and even can turn violent. A commenter on Facebook mentions seeing a glass smashed in someone’s face. This author has witnessed head butting.
Closing all the bars at once, or just arbitrarily cutting people off at a certain time, isn’t necessarily a requirement in having good civil order. Closing all the bars at once might create a worse situation as the rush to last call creates binge drinking, followed by a drunken mob on the sidewalks outside the bars and then a mess of cars driven by drunks as the commuter partiers return from whence they came.
Bars should take a good look at what being in business does for them, and the community, and then decide when to close. A 4 am closing time is a pretty reasonable cutoff even in an entertainment district. A city need not market itself as a 24 hour party zone, after all. Some bars downtown are already well aware of this, and already close.
A series of staggered closings and “wind-downs” might be the best policy. Serious debauchery is called to be good and done with by 2. This might mean no more loud music, no more cocktail service, and any place that wants to stay open needs to have food onsite. All drinking would cease by sometime in the 4 O’clock hour. Police presence between 11 pm and 5 am would be stepped up.
It’s important to remember that the cause of this discussion even happening, is public nuisance. Thus the creation of a more safe, sane and civil environment is the desired outcome – not a set of arbitrary regulations that merely push undesirable behavior elsewhere while leaving behind a ghost town. Creating an attitude of civility, respect and some restraint, while still keeping the festivities going on late would be a winning proposition for Reno.
By the way, the owner of Gringo’s is a genius for picking the name. Someone named Tom Cladianos might not naturally be expected to be doing a Mexican restaurant. We don’t really know what will emerge in that location. But for anyone looking at the name as a grammatical faux pas writ large, there should be a section in the menu that at least makes clear: the owner of Gringo’s is a gringo. It’s grammatically correct.
Once again, why are we punishing everyone and making up rules for everyone just because a few people are idiots? Why can't we just enforce existing rules for idiotic behavior? You get in a fight downtown, you go to jail. If there's several fights at one establishment downtown, you take away their liquor license or business license for too many police calls. Only a handful of bars have this problem, so why not fine them or revoke their licenses? Why punish, say "Doc Holidays" bar downtown which has NO problems inside or outside and they're 24 hours. What the heck is up with this juvenile knee jerk reaction to make more and more and more rules. Criminalize drugs because of a few idiots who OD. Hey let's ban hot drinks because a few idiots spill it on themselves. Rules, rules, rules. Get a life. People can self-regulate and there are enough existing rules against bad behavior. Rules should exist to enforce our rights and punish those who infringe on our rights. Boo-hoo, loud people at 4 AM downtown. Why did you buy a condo next door then? You chose to live downtown, you hipster wannabe or retired couple. Oh but you don't like the loud and rowdy people on the streets at 4 AM? You can't cherry pick life.
Posted by: Lakescrossing | November 11, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Lakescrossing, I tend to agree with you. Note I'm not calling for an arbitrary cutoff time for liquor sales or an arbitrary hour when bars would be closed. More cops on the street would probably take care of the "outside" problems. It's a moot point for me since the places I frequent already close on their own. What I'm arguing for here is promotion of an attitude of civility and respect, and that's what I'll be looking for coming out of any efforts that happen between the city and the business owners.
One argument I don't buy is the tradition argument. "It was this way before you got here - deal with it" or "that's the way we've always done it - that's just Reno" don't wash with me. People, places, and ways of doing things change all the time. I, for one, am particularly interested in how we try to keep those changes "for the better".
Posted by: urbanblog | November 11, 2009 at 12:20 PM