Uneasy Rhetoric

Beth posted that the Sacramento Police Department has a WordPress powered blog. It will be interesting to see to what extent they use it for information versus propaganda. I found the post Beth writes about, on the Distillery and their various violations, refreshingly detailed, if a tad propagandistic.

The gist of the post was to demonstrate 2 things: first, that the PD does respond to neighbor complaints and second, that the police want to work to enable businesses and neighbors to live in harmony. I thought they got across the first point to some degree at the expense of the second. By talking about the fact that they threatened to close the business if the Distillery did not comply with their license, they implied that continued neighbor complaints might force the business to close. This might make neighbors feel “empowered,” and not in a good way.

On the other hand, if the Distillery complies with the law and the requirements of any permits it has, the neighbors should have little, if any, recourse except to try to change the ordinances. After all, the PD *says* they want “to work in partnership with both the business owners and the community to preserve the quality of life in those [mixed use] areas of the City.”

I do agree with Beth’s sentiments, especially that new residents should not complain about legitimate business activities that they should have known about when they moved in (hell, there’s probably a lot of people in that neighborhood who love the Distillery). On the other hand, I also think that any bar that has live music and is located anywhere near a residential area is going to have problems with resident complaints — new residents, old residents, it doesn’t matter. The new apartments on the corner are more likely to generate business for the Distillery. Unfortunately, they probably will generate a complainer or two. It’s just statistics.

A number of years ago, I helped a new business, a bar, negotiate with the powers that be to open on SE Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland. They were having trouble getting their liquor license (actually, a beer and wine license) because of a small number of neighbor complaints — one, I think. The business was located in the heart of the commercial district, near a busy street corner that already contained a great deal of nighttime activity. They were replacing another bar known for drug dealing and seedy activity with a clean, well-lighted place. The experience has made me look just a little askance at neighbor complaints since.

(The bar is long gone. They sold out to Bridgeport, then reopened elsewhere, then, I think, sold out completely.)