ALCOHOL INSPIRED EVENTS

(15 years of alcohol inspired events has encouraged a certain kind of guest and resident to Manayunk.

One resident wrote. . .

"We had Cpt Cerone from the 5th dist at the CRCA meeting on June 4th. He was asked point blank about public drinking and intoxication at the bike race and the plan to enforce the laws regarding this. Cpt Cerone made it clear that they had no intention of enforcing these laws due to fear of inciting a riot. His message, implied or direct, was that public drinking and intoxication at the bike race was tolerated and therefore, in effect condoned. Those of us who live on and around the bike course in Manayunk at Roxborough are pretty sick of the drunken, rowdy behavior, the beer cups,trash, bottles and cans all over the place and the inevitable vandalism that ensues. It's possible that this may well have been the last year of this race but, if it isn't, I think it's time to take action now. As an avid cyclist who has been a volunteer at the bike race for at least the past 18 years I would be sad to see the event end, but I don't think we should continue to allow the kind of out-of-control behaviors we see at the race to continue. If Cpt Cerone is unwilling or unable to develop a plan to control this behavior, perhaps we should involve Ramsey, Curtis Jones, Mayor Nutter. At one point during the race I saw several underage teens, no older than 14 or 15, standing around with cups of beer, one of them drinking directly from a beer bottle. When I informed some officers standing across the street, they laughed it off and said something about tolerating a certain amount of this behavior because everyone was just having a good time. I think it's time we put a stop to this, it's unacceptable and I'm sure would not be tolerated anywhere else."

Another resident wrote. . .

(Broken glass window storefront, beer promotions and image problems)

"As a long-time resident invested in this community-including Main St, --with a vision and hope for a vibrant, stable and successful Main St, I am very disappointed that once again most bars, (some restaurant-bar) establishments are advertising cheap beer specials with larger banner, flags and signs.

These types of banners are aesthetically unappealing, for sure will be the backdrop on TV camera for the duration of this race, and once again project a "party-Main Street" that is a deterrent for retail, business and service commerce to sustain a healthy base or--better yet--locate here. This image is reality and is a deterrent for middle class couples, families or retirees to locate here.

I thought at one time there was consensus on Main St not to have beer promotions during the bike race. Was I imagining this? Are there any current initiatives to address cheap beer promotion signage on Main Street?

FYI: Last night COSACOSA's (a non-profit arts ed organization for community engagment, 4427 Main St ) store front window (6' x 8') was smashed. Apparently drunks had fallen through?? after the bars closed. Nothing was stolen,.... even though there was quite a few computers and other valuables inside the storefront.

To underscore my point the kind of incident that occurred last night at COSACOSA is indicative of the kind of patron (and resident) that Main Street is presently attracting."