Iowa city has recently issued an ordinance that would restrict the entry of patrons under the age of 21 to downtown bars.  At first, the ruling was that by 10pm, the under 21 patrons could not be present in the bar.  Then just plain, No Entry was initiated.  Police downtown are stating that the scene has been much quieter due to this being enacted.  They must not be at the house parties blossoming throughout the Iowa City neighborhoods that replace the entertainment for the under 21 college crowd.  Let’s face it folks.  House parties and bar hopping are part of the college experience.  Everyone loves the money the college brings to the city until it encroaches on our Saturday evenings at home with a book…This is what I am hearing from the mouths of local residents.

Though I do agree that bars are for patrons above the age of 21, the ordinance brings some other problems to light.

The music scene and the traffic the bands would enjoy is, or will soon be, suffering for lack of full venues.  Does this mean that the demographic of under 21 college students was so large that it leaves a hole in the venues when it is time to sell tickets, or fill seats?

Shifting back to the subject of alcohol abuse and people under the age of 21.  Are they assuming that it is the problem of patrons that alcohol is such a lively part of our culture?  By simply being present in an establishment that sells alcohol they are being endangered?  Is it the fault of the Establishment’s staff, or the patrons vying for illegal purchase of alcohol, that this is happening?  I would say that it is the responsibility of the owners and staff of each establishment. Let us also not forget the possibility of improper conduct due to heavily intoxicated people with limited supervision.

The truth of the matter is this.  If someone wants to drink, they will.  They may not be able to get it at the bar, but they can surely go to a house party and drink.  Now.  The question is.  Is the city more interested in providing a safe environment for people to consume alcohol in, where laws can be enforced?  Or are they looking to enforce the ordinance, (which comes with a hefty fine of around seven hundred dollars per offense,) To the point that it causes people to seek other means of socialization that may or may not result in bodily harm?  Keeping underage patrons out of bars will not prevent them from drinking, consuming, or acting out their drunkenness.  It will simply move it to other places.  People are going to say and do as they wish, the law will simply displace the location in which the crime is committed, it will not vanquish the issue.

If they do not get it at the bar, they will have a friend get it from the liquor store.  Again, the location that the crime is committed at has simply been displaced, and now the underage drinker is only at a different location carrying out the same deed.  Instead of being at a supervised environment they are now off the radar.  The fault becomes placed on the enabler, the purchaser of that alcohol, and the host of the party.  Sometimes these two aspects are not mutually exclusive or similar.

There is a solution being considered to this issue.  The idea is to segregate the bars into two sections, the under 21 side where no alcohol is served, and the over 21 side.  I went to college in Arizona, where establishments like this are common, especially in musical venues.  They are highly successful.  They get great traffic.  They are safe to be in.  It sounds to me like the problem with this ordinance is not the fact that people are drinking and getting alcohol illegally, it is that no one wants to enforce the laws we have in place to prevent this occurrence.

Though I have always been a believer in the 21 and only condition of most bars, I have to say I agree with this statement by Jim Mondanaro, a downtown Iowa City Patron and Co Chairperson, (with Leah Cohen) of the Iowa Safety Committee:

“Downtown establishments offer paid security staff and regulated occupancy limits,” Mondanaro said.  “Wouldn’t we rather have this population downtown, where the police and emergency resources are readily available?  YES.  Wouldn’t we rather keep our neighborhoods peaceful and our downtown vibrant?  YES.”

My condition to always supporting the idea of 21 and over bars was due to the fact that they had under 21 areas available as well for the purpose of viewing musical performances or mutual enjoyment of the nightlife.  This is something the Iowa City Scene, and most large city downtown scenes are lacking.  The concept is so simple yet possibly written off by local business owners who do not want to incur the extra expense of modifying or partitioning their establishments to make this possible.  In

The downtown scene provides the police force to observe and protect. (Perhaps that should be their new motto, due to complaints of citizens of police scouting private neighborhoods trying to crack down on house parties.) Claims of disorderly house citations has been purported by local media to have been on the rise.  However, what really is a disorderly residence?  Other than music that impedes the peaceful enjoyment of neighbor’s rightful property and visible heavy traffic or outdoor partying, what people do on their property, or in their homes is their own business.  A number of cars parked outside does not warrant a visit by the police.  And I am so terribly sorry to the elderly who will read this but:  You live in a college town.  That college makes your city’s world go round.  All the businesses, and townspeople who work at them rely on this traffic to prosper.   Pick your battles.

The solution to all of this is obviously to segregate the venues by age group to enable both parties to enjoy the downtown area and provide a safe and profitable environment for the city and all it’s people.  You can do your part by voting to repeal the under 21 ordinance currently in place.

Visit he Iowa Safety Committee’s Website to learn how you can register to vote and change this law, as well as view other facts and information regarding this issue.

http://www.iowacitysafety.com/voter_registration.htm )