Downtown Greenville curfew expected to save family-friendly environment
Posted by The Skyliner on September 23rd, 2009Amy Skaggs
Staff Writer
The sidewalks of downtown Greenville have been unmistakably clearer since the Greenville City Council adopted an emergency curfew on Aug. 30. It applies to teens 17 years old and younger who are dropped off by their parents and wandering the streets between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, along with any night before an observed holiday.
This curfew was placed into effect following a serious problem of teens and pre-teens blocking sidewalks, spilling into the streets and “antagonizing citizens,” according to Greenville County Police. On the Saturday night before the curfew was ordered, there were an estimated 1,000 unsupervised minors roaming the streets.
A major concern of law enforcement that night was the number of fights that broke out. A fight would break out on the sidewalks and before even the first punch was thrown, an enormous flood of people would surround the altercation. By the time the police officers were able to get word of the fight and could weed through the crowd, the fight had ended.
The safety of not only the minors, but also the other people who work and play in the area is also in danger without this curfew. When the minors began to spill into the streets due to the lack of room on the sidewalks, vehicles were unable to move. The crowd of people would bang on car windows when the police officers attempted to clear the streets.
Merchants have also expressed concerns with the amount of juveniles on the streets. They say that the sheer mass of the crowd is intimidating to their customers and it is detrimental to their businesses. That Saturday, one restaurant had to close its doors because of fights that had broken out inside. This was another reason the curfew was able to pass through City Counsel so easily.
Downtown Greenville is known for being raised up from hardly anything into a place for music and art events, fine dining restaurants, and interesting shops. The merchants involved in the scene have been very much involved in creating this fun, laid back, family-friendly atmosphere, and the city council wishes to preserve it.
Many North Greenville students choose downtown as their weekend destination. While the majority of students would not be directly affected by this curfew in the sense that they will have to choose a different place to hang out, it does affect the experience that is obtained there.
Sarah Ashley Ramey, freshman, enjoys spending her time with her friends in this area.
“I believe that the curfew is a great idea, quite honestly. Some parents just drop their children off and don’t care what they do there. But the truth is, they aren’t merely walking around. It could be very unsafe,” Ramey said.
So who is exempt from this curfew? Minors who are either emancipated or in the company of a parent or guardian or are traveling either to or from religious services, work or hospitals are all exempted. If minors are found to be downtown after hours, they either have to be picked up by their parents immediately, or they will be taken to a conference room in City Hall and monitored by officers until they contact their guardians.
Because this action is only an emergency ordinance, it will expire in two months. However, city officials believe that this will give the council enough time to develop more official rules of the curfew. It is expected to eventually become permanent.
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 3