WolvertonToday’s YES! Weekly editorial takes Greensboro’s new under-18, downtown curfew to task for attempting “to place blame — or at least punish — a cohort that has little to do with downtown’s woes but has little recourse against it because they cannot vote. And, judging by our Pop Quiz this week, our elected officials are well aware of the fact that the three weapons offenses that grabbed headlines recently have been committed by people well over the age of 18.
I asked readers yesterday in live social media coverage of a city council briefing if they had any questions. The first came from Dave McLean, who asked, “Since no teenagers were involved in the recent weapons incidents, why did the council choose to ban teenagers downtown?” Twenty-one comments on that thread and at least five statements during the speakers from the floor segment of the briefing from people who unanimously opposed the curfew provides ample evidence that the council’s recent vote has generated plenty of controversy.
I put the question to Ed Wolverton, president of Downtown Greensboro Inc., which has advocated for the measure and represents many of the downtown property owners who have been its most vocal proponents.
Wolverton responds:
DGI has endorsed several new programs to improve public safety in Downtown, especially for the late night customers and workers. The proposals were based on two themes 1) Better managing sidewalks and public space and 2) Increasing bar owner and patron responsibilities. City Council has acted on the first issue and will be considering strategies for the second phase at an upcoming meeting.
Managing the sidewalks and public space is critical to public safety. Perhaps the best way to discuss the issue is with a real, every night example.
Anyone who has walked along Elm Street during the late night hours knows that sidewalks can become quite crowded. Sidewalk cafes bring life and activity, but they also remove space from pedestrians. Lines of patrons waiting to get into restaurants and clubs also limit the sidewalk area. When you further consider space used by trash containers, newspaper boxes, bike racks and other street furniture, sidewalk space often gets very limited. Space narrows down even more when push cart vendors set up on the sidewalks.
Now, include in this mix people hanging out on the sidewalks. In some cases, these people are too young to get into a club or restaurant. In other cases, they prefer to hang outside and "people watch" even though they could go inside a business. As people see friends, more people start congregating to be part of the scene and sidewalk space is further limited.
Soon, someone makes a comment to a passerby that could be seen as crude or offensive. Or, a pedestrian in a hurry tells loiterers to get out of the way. Add in effects of alcohol consumption, and, what may have been a harmless comment instead becomes a spark that leads to a fight. The fight could happen then or later in the evening as the paths of the people involved cross again in a club, restaurant or on the sidewalk.
The pilot curfew to prohibit unsupervised youth in Downtown after 11 p.m. along with the loitering ordinance changes are preventive measures. They are designed to proactively open-up more space on crowded sidewalks for late night pedestrians. This will reduce the chances of a conflict and minimize an innocent bystander being harmed by a nearby incident or becoming a crime victim.
No one supporting the curfew said that the recent incidents were caused by teenagers. Nor did anyone blame teenagers. The major reason for the curfew is that minors under 18 years old cannot legally get into a club. While a few restaurants are open late night, most are closed after 11 p.m. That leaves hanging around on the sidewalk as the most likely place for most unsupervised minors after this time of night.
For loitering, public safety is improved by making sure that people are a distance away from doorways to allow business patrons the ability to easily enter and exit. As many people use the City parking decks, the other loitering change is designed to prevent tailgate parties from occurring in the garage. Some use the decks to load up on alcohol and avoid detection of over-consumption within a club. Some tailgate and hang out with no intention of visiting a club. This can create an intimidating environment in the garage and escalate the chances of an incident.
The changes approved by City Council so far are geared to help prevent and diffuse incidents from occurring by minimizing conflicts from happening on sidewalks and in parking decks. Also, the City Council voted to end the loitering law after one year to examine its impact. As noted above, DGI approved a two-step approach and we are working with stakeholders to bring forward changes to improve management practices of club operators and patrons. Combined, these refinements will improve late night public safety for the entire community.
Unfortunately, there is no easy and simple solution. Improving safety will require a number a strategies that work together. That is the approach DGI is endorsing.
I appreciate Wolverton’s willingness to engage in open dialogue on a topic in which many people on both sides have strong feelings.
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