Staff editorial: Sloshing safely

College Park city officials have long worried about the impact downtown bars have on public safety. But too often, they imagine raising prices to new, higher levels will be like a magic wand, eliminating binge drinking in one fell swoop. While it's important that bar owners have stopped offering ridiculous specials — $1 pitchers at Thirsty Turtle, 50 cent rails at Cornerstone — keeping students safe downtown will require more than justpumping up prices.

The College Park City Council asked the three downtown bar owners to present safety plans to them last week. Alan Wanuck, a former city councilman who owns Thirsty Turtle, presented a detailed plan for limiting the number of drunk people he allows in to the bar and the number of patrons will be able to drink. R.J. Bentley's owner John Brown gave a less detailed presentation, while Mark Srour, the owner of Santa Fe Cafe, Cornerstone Grill and Loft and The Mark, whose long-time refusal to install sprinklers at Santa Fe consistenly drew the ire of the council, didn't present a plan. (Even though Brown's and Wanuck's plans were different, Srour said his plan was the same as the other two.)
The consensus among the owners and council members? Raise prices and binge drinking will go down. There is logic in this (see the impact high taxes have had on tobacco consumption), but there are other, better ways the bars can improve student safety.

First, the obvious: Srour should install sprinklers in Santa Fe and The Mark. The latest update of his plan for Santa Fe, which is being renovated and is closed at the moment, included the sprinklers. But his delay in installing them was still shameful, especially considering he signed a contract with the city requiring their installation by March 2006. He has also said he plans on installing sprinklers in The Mark. That should be done with as much haste as possible.

Second, the bars shouldn't let in obviously drunk students. Wanuck said he wouldn't, but it's relatively clear his bouncers make exceptions. And increasing prices will only encourage more pre-gaming, and students will drink even more in shorter periods of time. In off-campus housing, there are no authority figures to slow students' drinking. The best way to eliminate pre-gaming is to start denying entrance to those who do. Getting rejected from a bar is embarassing, and those who are will learn their lesson.

Bar owners should also call the police to stop alcohol-fueled fights. Many times, bouncers solve these altercations by simply throwing the belligerent drunks out on the street where they can settle their disputes without supervision, ultimately putting the safety of the greater community at risk.

During the meeting last Wednesday, bar owners were asked about the possibility of installing ID scanners to ensure those who enter their bars are at least 21. The owners appeared to dodge the suggestion, and with good reason. Regardless of fines (like the $5,000 one Santa Fe received in May), underage drinkers are the main source of income for Srour, Brown and Wanuck.

The best solution is to take smaller steps. They've begun cleaning up the sidewalks near Route 1 by preventing people from sitting on the brick wall outside of Thirsty Turtle, which decreases the threat that crowds, assaults, hecklers and traffic pose to students. The city has also installed "No Loitering" signs, adding further discouragement. More significantly, they've increased patrols.

So far, the bar owners (or at least Wanuck and Brown) have talked a good game. But talking won't prevent a student from vomiting in the College Park Shopping Center parking lot at 2 a.m. It won't stop two guys from throwing punches after drunkenly bumping into each other. Actions will.

Students should feel relieved that officers are looking out for their safety. It's now time for bar owners to get on the same page.