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3/22/2000
EAR PLUGS
We got this from degenerate PN:
Dear Friends,
The City Council of Atlanta believes that all nightclubs inside the city of
Atlanta should close at 2am, seven days a week. This is a result of the recent
shootings that have taken place in Buckhead. The City Council of Atlanta believes
that business closing hours should be changed from 4am to 2am to cure the ‘serious
public safety concern associated with many establishments which are licensed
to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises and their failure
to adequately monitor and supervise their premises and parking lots utilized
by their patrons, particularly after 2am,’ as stated by Council member
Lee Morris in City Ordinance 00-0-0186. The proposed amendment by Michael Bond
and new city ordinances address the parking, loud noise, and lewd and violent
behavior issues that our city’s venues supposedly cultivate. Should all
Atlanta clubs and patrons be held responsible for isolated incidents?
I am appalled at the instantaneous, thoughtless and dispassionate response of
our City Council in dealing with this issue. They are grossly underestimating
the amount of tax revenue these clubs generate during the hours of 2am and 4am
as well as the welfare of commerce in revitalizing communities. The city council
is also overestimating the amount of disturbance that these clubs and venues
produce. Sure I welcome safety, but this political effort is not worth the detrimental
expense of small businesses all across the board. History shows that new laws
rarely alleviate the root of the problem and only cause inequitable inconvenience
for law-abiding citizens.
The city of Atlanta is already making the clubs and venues suffer for their
trade through exorbitant fees for alcohol licenses and taxes. A new law would
surely send many businesses packing. As a musician and proprietor in the music
scene of Atlanta, I am outraged that our fast-growing, but still fragile community
will suffer for the alleged ‘governing inabilities’ of our neighbors
in a small geographic area of the city. Most clubs continue live music past
the hour of 2am, even on weekdays. These clubs are the backbone of our music
scene. They are our livelihood and our outlet. It’s very simple. If the
clubs go, the music goes.
I would much rather live in a city where unbalanced people are able to relieve
their rage peacefully at a nightclub through listening and dancing to live music
rather than taking out their tribulations on other Atlantans with guns. If we
are forced to close our clubs early, then we are forced to surrender the foundation
that drives our local music scene. We cannot let this happen if we intend to
continue nurturing what we have created.
I recently attended a meeting with some local club owners and club managers
here in town to determine how we can prevent this injustice. We were able to
come up with a few viable solutions of how to deal with this type of discrimination.
An appeal to the City Council of Atlanta was drafted and I’d like to quote
the last paragraph: ‘We believe that the integrity and dignity of Atlanta’s
neighborhoods are important. Many of us live in areas close to some of these
licensed establishments. The interest of all of Atlanta can be best served by
clear, unemotional assessment of the problems associated with eating and drinking
establishments. A poorly defined problem is likely to lead to a poorly crafted
solution that does nothing to advance the public health, safety and general
welfare -nothing except create the illusion of having done something purposeful.
If the problem is parking, loud noise, lewd behavior or violence, the proposed
ordinances indeed offer the wrong solution.’ I am urging all participants
in the Atlanta music scene to visit their local hangout and sign a petition
that states, ‘I strongly oppose the proposed ordinances #00-0-0185 and
#00-0-0186 to amend the city code of ordinances Chapter 10, Article II, Section
10-209. Your support is needed to win a battle that will determine the final
outcome of local music’s survival and subsistence. If we, the musicians,
do not speak up now, we will surely become a part of Atlanta’s history
rather than it’s future.
Don’t let politics kill our art.
Sincerely,
Pete Knapp
President,
Shut Eye Records
Please forward this message to others interested in voicing their opinion and
saving our scene.
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