View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2006 > May > 05
Friday, May 5, 2006
Protesting isn’t for everyone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Sandy Springs City Council recently heard public comments from residents, business owners, employees on closing drinking establishments at either 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. There were at least a couple of hundred folks who wanted to speak on the subject, both for and against.
On one hand, people who work at jobs that carry late hours want to be able to go and do some catching up — meaning your 4 a.m. is really their midnight or so. The club owners indicate the revenue is significant during that two-hour period. On the other, many don’t want the problems associated with late nights and alcohol.
How long should the bars stay open?
The Buckhead area changed the bar-closing times to 2 a.m. and reportedly it has cut their overall crime rate. If they close at 2 a.m. and Sandy Springs closes the bars at 4 a.m. does this mean they gravitate north and Sandy Springs now inherits the 2 to 4 a.m. drinkers and, if so, will it be a problem?
Are the drinkers from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. two-fisted drinking or just folks leaving their late-night jobs? Or a combination of both?
How much out-of-service time will this cost the police? This is prime office-burglary time and officers on the street would rather be sneaking around the commercial areas hoping to land a business burglar.
Right now, taking a drunk to jail takes about two hours. Someone has to cover that beat. Some nights, the busy cars never get back into service. One thing is for sure. The Sandy Springs Police Department will have to operate efficiently during these hours.
A concern by some is that this move to close the drinking establishments at 2 a.m. primarily targets establishments that cater to African-American and Hispanic patrons.
How do you break it down? If a higher percentage of police reports are filed between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. in predominately African-American and/or Hispanic clubs, what does that say? Problems in those clubs or discrimination?
One thing is for sure, though. This kind of stuff brings out protesters.
Protesting isn’t for everyone
One way to voice your opinion is to have your own, or be a part of a protest. You have to be in good physical shape to protest because you have to hold the sign up and look concerned at the same time. You have to be ready for the camera. If you protest something serious and the camera catches you smiling, your protest loses credibility.
At Tuesday’s Sandy Springs City Council meeting, there were 25-30 protesters alongside Roswell Road. They were nicely dressed.
The protesters had nice T-shirts, but the writing was too small. The letter-size of the protest sign and protest T-shirt should fit the conditions. If you are protesting in a 25 or 35 MPH area, it would be OK, but with the average speed on Roswell Road being currently somewhere in the vicinity of the speed of light, You only have 00.0004 of a second to actually read the signs or shirts. This is why every protest planning session should be attended by a math major.
Some of the protesters indicated they were being paid. Doesn’t this taint the whole commitment-to-the-issue thing?
When I was in the military I was stationed in California. We were preparing to go overseas. This was latter part of the Vietnam War. The anti-war protesters were outside the gate day and night. They left school and work to protest. They protested non-stop. They had commitment, they had unity and they had a lot of pot. They walked the perimeter of the base a singin’ songs and a-carryin’ signs but frequently took long breaks for Twinkies, candy bars and Boone’s Farm.
Still, when you look back, they were a major influence on the outcome of the war as well as the annual stock of Boone’s Farm.
It felt that this Sandy Springs group wasn’t really “on” to the principles of this protest. I had the feeling that some didn’t even live in the area, but they had some nice T-shirt and those signs were very well done. I think the font was Arial Rounded AT Bold.
Back at the meeting, everyone was very orderly. The meeting room soon filled so 75 to 100 participants were left outside in the parking lot. We passed out meeting agenda sheets so that everyone could see what they weren’t going to get to do. We all sat around singing Joan Baez songs.
Many people signed up to speak at the meeting. Actually, if everyone who signed up to speak actually got to do so, the meeting would have lasted about four days.
I’m not sure how the outcome influences the revenue of the clubs or the social implications of those who work late, or the monthly check for the lawyers, or the crime rate in the area but it really is interesting to hear all the different sides of the issue.
One more observation.
If you’re going to protest, put down your cell phone and get with the movement.
