Nightlife Townhall Meeting

So last night I had the “pleasure” of going to the LES Senior Citizens Convention Nightlife Townhall Meeting at PS 20.

First of all, OMG, you have no idea what a bunch of crazytown haters these meetings bring in and you must go to them. Seriously.  While it was a perfect blend of hilarity, hatred, and overall hysteria, it definitely made me realize how important it is that people of my/our generation get involved in Townhall and Community Board issues.  Brittany Mendenhall and I realized we were a bit in over our heads we saw the turnout – we managed to sit amongst other pro-nightlife people.  in order to avoid getting hit with canes and walkers.

Britt beat me to the punch and did a great job of summing up the meeting and pointing out key highlights.  While Eater surprisingly said the meeting “went off without a hitch.” Ehh, really? I don’t if I would put like that…

• 80% of the people there were ANTI: Nightlife, Bars, Restaurants, Anything with a Liquor license. I would say they majority of the 80% were 55+.
• Half of the people on the ‘board’ are anti-nightlife.  One of them even said, “if you come off the Williamsburg bridge at 2AM, it’s just terrible outside” Oh really? Last time I checked it was pretty desolate over there- I know this because I live in Williamsburg. And if it’s “terrible out” maybe its because of all the projects south of the bridge. I try and steer clear of walking on Delancey – and it has nothing to do with the ‘noise level.’
• Out of the 30 people that spoke (in the two hours I was there) only about 5 were PRO-nightlife.  Anytime they spoke, the audience booed like a bunch of 3rd graders. We need to bring it.
• These people complained about everything.  In their eyes, even restaurants serving beer and wine are detrimental to the world, and they asked why restaurants can’t run without a liquor license.  I hope the board is taking in to consideration that the majority of these people have nothing better to complain about besides Wheel of Fortune changing time slots.
• To say that the nightlife and restaurant community is misrepresented would be an understatement.  It is imperative that the voice of people who love the vibrancy of NYC come out to these meetings.
• The fact that city residents are so upset over liquor license applications should get their priorities in order.  Our city has so many issues – noise complaints should not be a top concern.

What they had to say:

Vomit, Urine, Trash, Noise, and Cigarettes
This was the main gripe of the Anti-Fun Committee.  While I can understand the hater brigade wants to keep noise levels down and have clean sidewalks, they are using bars and lounges as a scapegoat for their problems.  Loud noise in NYC is inevitable between the honking cars, the constant sound of sirens, and every thing in between.   People smoke, dogs pee everywhere -and so do bums.  I lived above the Charleston in Williamsburg for two years – right smack dab in the middle of hipsterhood-Bedford and N7th.  The Charleston was so effing loud but eventually I learned to deal with it, my body adjusted, and very rarely did I wake up in the middle of the night.  The AFC should also take note, there are 35 colleges in New York City.  My guess would be drunk college kids are the source of the vom – where ever there’s underclassman, there’s vomit.   There is trash everywhere, New York is a dirty city.   On a sidenote: the AFC is AGAINST the SMOKING BAN and they want it repealed.  They said since the Smoking Ban came in to play noise levels and the amount of “trash, vomit, urine, and cigarettes” has significantly increased.

What I have to say:

There are positives that Nightlife and Restaurant Industry bring to the community.

The Economy:
Unfortunately, the majority of the people that live in NYC are not students or retirees.  We actually have to *gasp* work!   Since the economy blows, many displaced workers are looking to fall back on their nightlife and restaurant roots. Every new venue that opens provides job opportunities for chefs, servers, bartenders, party planners, cocktail servers, etc etc.  Not to mention all the people whose careers revolve around this industry – journalists, musicians, artists, critics, club promoters, talent bookers, the list goes on and on.

Safety:
There is a level of safety that the presence of bars and restaurants add to a neighborhood.  Sure, you definitely have your cases of bar brawls, missing persons, and deaths that occur within the realm of nightlife.  But if none of those clubs, bars, or restaurants existed, then where would we be? Back to empty streets filled with gangs and prostitutes?!  How much sleep can you get with gunshots going off? Would you rather clean up butts or blood?  The fact that bars and restaurants add livelihood to a block, makes me feel a bit safer walking home by myself.  I would rather walk through a crowd of drunk idiots than walk down a dark, desolte block.  The AFC needs to remember that the influx of bars and restaurants helped gentrify many of the areas in which we live in today.

I highly encourage anyone who reads this blog to start attending your local community board meetings – we really need to speak up for ourselves. There are so few people representing the nightlife and restaurant community, their voices barely get heard.  The 21-35 yr old wining and dining population needs a voice.  You can find out when and where to go by Googling: Community Board (your zip code) EX: ‘community board 11211″  OR by signing up for the Nightlife Preservation Community [here.]

That’s all…