After Dark with Beth LaMontagne

January 19, 2006

What is this?

tom tom.jpg

It may be cold out, but Magnum will keep you warm.

According to the Portland Press Herald, city officials have limited the number of full service bars in the Old Port in hopes of cracking down on crime.

The thesis is, fewer bars, fewer drunks. Fewer drunks, less crime.

Reporter Kelley Bouchard writes:

Many residents questioned whether reducing the number of liquor licenses would have any effect on the number of bar fights, assaults and drug violations in the district. Still, a majority of councilors decided to back the proposal from Councilor William Gorham, who originally wanted to lower the cap to 22 licenses.

"The more outlets for alcohol . . . the more crime you're going to have," Gorham argued. "We have to begin somewhere . . . I'm trying to make Portland a safer place."

Count me in with one of those many residents. When you're a destination, yes, there might be more drinking related incidents, but if you want to make money off of tourism, you have to pay to keep things above board.

Then I read this little tid-bit, which really got me:

Police statistics provided to the council showed that the number of full-service bars in the Old Port dropped to 21 in recent years, while the total number of calls for police service, both inside and outside bars, increased from 196 in 2003 to 297 in 2005.

Now wouldn't one infer that having fewer bars increases crime? Well, not exactly. Officials say the increase in crime reports is because they beefed up patrols in the Old Port. This crime crack down may seem like a good start to solving a long-term problem, but the councilors feel these extra patrols are simply a drain on resources. A bit too hasty if you ask me. How about giving the crack down some time to crack down?

Anyway, I know that New Hampshire does liquor licenses a little differently, but I can't help but wonder if we tried to do something like this is Portsmouth. Would there still be a mix of places to drink or will we eventually be stuck with a city full of Tequila Jack's or would the trend fall more in line with the Red Door. Who knows?

What I do know is that if I go to Portland, I try to stay away from the Old Port. There are so many other places, particularly on Congress Street, that are way better than Kelley McMulligans or the million other Irsih pubs down there. While there is a need to clean up that area, I'm not sure limiting furture business owners is the way to go.

Posted by blamontagne at January 19, 2006 06:07 PM

Comments

Maybe we should limit the KIND of bars there are! Like just have bars that over 35s can afford like Hugo's or Fore St in Portland or The Dunaway or Victory or the 100 Club in Portsmouth--that way there would be more responsible drinking but still drinking! Although I have seen my share of drunks in many nicer places. Oh wait, I've BEEN drunk in those nicer places! Never mind.

Posted by: RForrest at January 19, 2006 06:51 PM

"Like just have bars that over 35s can afford like Hugo's or Fore St in Portland or The Dunaway or Victory or the 100 Club in Portsmouth--that way there would be more responsible drinking but still drinking!"

Let's re-word that to say,"Like just have bars that rich people can afford because only poor people cause problems."......At least that's what I read.

Posted by: yourzombiejesus at January 20, 2006 12:03 PM

Exactly! I have been wondering about that the last few weeks, how it's okay to open a chic nightclub with $8 drinks, but people in town seem to really frown on places like State Street Saloon, D-Street or the now defunt Old Bridge.

Rowdiness also comes from places where young people seem to go, but there doesn't seem to be that same stigma, like "Oh, let the kids have their fun," but when it's poor people, it's like, "Oh no, get rid of the drunk riff-raf."

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen herds college kids acting like absolute morons pour out of Jack Quigley's at last call, wander into the street, yelling and screaming, trying to sneak out booze, etc. This seems to happen every weekend, but the business doesn't seem to have to do anything about it. Another example, the other day I was walking by Tequila Jacks, around noonish, and there was a huge puddle of dried puke on the sidewalk that no one seemed to care to wash away. Why am I the only one bitching about that?

I know I'm way off subject here, but this Portland thing just seems to be a waste of political breath. When people get drunk, things get out of hand, whether it's here or Portland or Detroit. The city should try to go to the root of the cause (are bars overserving?) instead of complaining about patrons who are ultimately supporting the city.

Posted by: afterdark at January 22, 2006 01:50 PM

Of course bars are overserving.

But anyway, I'm over 35 and can't afford to go out to *any* bars and drink.

Hmmm, mortgage, oil and snow boots for my kid, or a few jack & diets at the local watering hole...?

Posted by: bullyforme at January 23, 2006 01:53 PM

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