By Paul Tuthill
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Springfield, MA – Many cities grapple with the issue of violence and late night drinking in their downtowns. The mayor of Springfield Massachusetts wants to impose an entertainment curfew. Not surprisingly, his proposal has been met with opposition by nightclub and bar owners. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
New regulations proposed by Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno would require live performances at night clubs to stop , T.V.s to go dark and juke boxes silenced in bars a full hour before the 2AM closing time for serving alcohol. Sarno says its in response to a spike in early morning violence that has people afraid to go downtown at other hours.
Under Sarno's proposal entertainment would have to cease at 1 AM unless a bar, nightclub, or restaurant obtained a special permit from the mayor as part of the annual entertainment licensing process.
Springfield police officials, who support the curfew, say crime statistics show a disproportionate number of shootings, stabbings and other violent incidents occur downtown after 2 AM. Ten police officers were injured during downtown disturbances last year. Extra police patrols assigned to downtown increase overtime expenses and draw police protection away from other neighborhoods.
Dozens of nightclub and bar owners criticized the proposal at a public hearing last month. Robbie Gossman , whose family owns McCaffrey's Public House on Main Street in Springfield says the entertainment curfew would be an economic hardship
The executive director of the Springfield Business Improvement District, Donald Courtemanche said the curfew would put a damper on efforts to create a vibrant downtown attractive to young professionals. He said it was a scatterbomb approach that would penalize good taxpaying corporate citizens.
Springfield City Councilor Thomas Ashe, who chairs the council's public safety committee, is also opposed to the entertainment curfew.
Ashe has suggested closing to vehicular traffic certain streets with a high concentration of nightclubs and bars during the evening and early morning hours. He believes this would make crowd control easier. He said the street closings may be done on a trial basis starting next month.
There's also been a suggestion to copy what Northampton does, which is to prohibit entry to bars and clubs after 1AM, but keep closing time at 2AM.
Officials in Saratoga Springs have debated the question of rolling back last call from 4am to 2 am because of downtown violence.