DeKalb delays decision on earlier bar closing time
Bars in DeKalb County can continue to stay open until 4 a.m. — at least for now.
The DeKalb Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 Tuesday to delay a decision until next week on whether to cut off alcohol service at 2 a.m. in unincorporated areas. Commissioners asked county police to compile crime statistics surrounding late-night bars before reducing their hours.
More than 40 bar owners and employees wore red shirts and stood in unified opposition against the earlier closing time, saying that implementing it countywide would punish all businesses rather than those that are causing problems.
But residents who live near bars say an earlier closing time would reduce crime, noise and drunk driving that's prevalent around clubs that stay open into early-morning hours.
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About the Authors
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
