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By Allen Roskoff
Friday, November 07, 2008
The New York City nightlife community came together on Tuesday Nov. 11, for its first Gay Nightlife Summit sponsored by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. More than 50 owners, managers and participants of nightlife venues attended.
Club owners shared horrendous stories of persecution by the NYPD and other government agencies. There was much anger at how the city has criminalized an industry that is so important to the city’s image and tax base, an industry that has made New York famous.
I have made an editorial decision not to mention participants, as the goal is to assist venues harassed by city government and police. As the harassment is insidious, attendees need not be highlighted.
The presentation included just how insidious the harassment is. Participants raised many questions that they wanted addressed.
If the police move to close down nightlife establishments after three instances of drug sales, how come they have not closed down the public schools where drug sales happen everyday, or at least fired schools Chancellor Klein?
If bars are targeted because of drugs, then why not close Madison Square Garden or Radio City Music Hall when major concerts take place since we know there are drug deals on the premises?
Since nuisance and abatement laws were intended as a tool to close down houses of prostitution, why are they being used against nightlife establishments?
Why do police officers target our clubs for entrapment stings, creating situations that would not take place if they did not trick establishments or their patrons into breaking the law?
Why were four clubs serving the gay community closed on Gay Pride weekend? Certainly they could have been harassed on another weekend.
Why do most of the closings take place Friday evenings when the owners
and promoters cannot see a judge until Monday morning to get an order
allowing them to reopen?
Why are bar owners responsible for a patron using false ID or a relative's ID?
The community boards in the areas often aid and abet the harassment by City Hall and the police. Community boards high lighted include CB 2 covering the Village and SOHO (where anti-nightlife activist Elaine C. Young sits) CB 3 covering the Lower East Side, and CB 4, covering Chelsea and Hells Kitchen.
Why are community boards, which often hold the fate of a liquor license, allowed to intimidate and set arbitrary conditions for recommending approval of liquor licenses? Conditions such setting closings at 2 a.m., disallowing leafleting anywhere in the city and being told they could not return in the future for a cabaret license.
Captain Stephen Hughes, of the 10th Precinct covering Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen has recently expressed pride at the last Community Board 4 meeting that there are no large nightlife venues left in his district.
In addition, Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Kelly and Council Speaker Christine Quinn must and will be held responsible for their anti-nightlife behavior.
Also addressed was nightlife’s new No. 1 enemy, newly elected State Sen. Daniel Squadron of the lower eastside. Based on his positions while running for office, he will be introducing and pushing a legislative agenda that will put the last nail in nightlife's coffin. More on him in a future column.
Assembly member Richard Gottfried, Public Advocate candidates Council member Bill De Blasio and civil rights attorney Norman Siegel addressed the group and were warmly and gratefully received.
We are setting up a steering committee to monitor these Community Boards and will identify and hold accountable those individuals trying to close down our venues. We are mobilizing for action. These policies will be formulated by the newly established committee within the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, which will be chaired by several of the attendees.
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