Comment

Comment by John Boutet on October 26, 2009 at 12:40am

This Wednesday from 7PM to 9PM Adam McFaden is holding his monthly Thurston Road Street Watch Meeting at the The Rochester Presbyterian Home. From what the calendar says Lt. Joe Morabito of the Rochester Police Department will be conducting a workshop on how to identify and close down drug houses. While we don't want to hijack the meeting, what we are talking about fall right in to what Adam is trying to accomplish and we should be able to get some time on the agenda. Hopefully CPO Kristin Runyon will also be there to answer questions is needed.

Comment by Anthony Fasolo on October 25, 2009 at 11:58pm

Amen to that Marian. No rationales, no excuses.

Comment by Marian Boutet on October 25, 2009 at 11:12pm

One more comment on bars and violence. There's a bar on West Avenue across the street from Tops called PI's Lounge. For as long as I've lived in this neighborhood (since 1972), I've never heard of a problem there, and I believe that bar has been here at least as long as I have. It CAN be done, and it can be done here. I'm really not interested in hearing any more rationales for what's happening on Thurston Road.

Comment by Margy Meath on October 25, 2009 at 1:47pm

One of my neighbors is a long term Thurston business owner who had not heard about the Street Watch program. I gave him information this morning as we talked about the recent shootings and how rough things are on Thurston these days. Like us, he is a long term 19th ward resident.

Comment by Shawn on October 25, 2009 at 1:33pm

I was just going to ask if anyone had ever tried to get these business owners together, or sit down with them one on one, and have a talk, and create an open dialog about the issues surrounding Thurston Road?

Comment by Shawn on October 25, 2009 at 12:46pm

As for what I outlined above, ALL those things have to happen AT ONE TIME, or they are ineffective. It has to be a serious concerted effort. Not just window dressing with one day of ticketing. It need to be on going. I would love to see random sweeps of ticketing/towing, code enforcements, on a weekly bases to send the message that were not going to take it anymore. One thing that we know, is that people will continue to do the same behavior, unless it hits them in the pocketbook.

Comment by Anthony Fasolo on October 25, 2009 at 12:44pm

You know Margy, having not been here long I am outraged and astounding that it was stated that "we will not close bars". That is irresponsible and completely without regard to what is going on here. I've worked for TWO bars in this city that live in constant fear of attracting the WRONG crowd or allowing the WRONG behavior take hold in their establishments for fear of having points placed on them, or worse being closed down. SO WHY ARE THESE CRAP HOLES ON THURSTON BEING GIVEN A FREE PASS! I've been working bars for 14 years and this is idiotic. On one hand we scream, yell and complain about Thurston road, but on the other we can't or won't do anything to control the environment in a meaningful way. We want families to mover here? That isn't going to go anywhere as long as we cannot clean up our main streets. You know something? At the risk of sounding harsh because I'm very angry now - 90 percent of what is left on Thurston I have no interest in, or need for and that is sad. I would love to be able to walk it and use it much like people can do in the Wedge or Park Ave. But I'm sorry I'm 42 years old and I don't wear hip hop clothing, drink myself silly and rely on prostitution and drugs to get me through my day, or need a weave and nail job every 48 hours. I'm done venting.

Comment by Shawn on October 25, 2009 at 12:36pm

You don't see thugs walking out of Boulder Coffee, after have a few beers, shooting people up. Because Boulder has created an atmosphere that is not conducive to this type of behavior. It comes down to respect and responsibility. Some of these establishments do not respect the neighborhood, and the businesses and residents who live near them. Plus no one wants to take responsibility. It's a "what ever happens outside my business is not my problem" it's ALL our problem!

Comment by Margy Meath on October 25, 2009 at 12:31pm

Shawn, I agree completely with what you outlined above.
Mark, I remember reading your story of being assualted at the bar and think that's just tragic.
Adam, I believe that the bar discussion shut down when you unequivocally said "we are not going to get rid of bars" and outlined your idea that the answer was more police presence at closing time
Ant, I agree completely with your description of a bar owners responsibility and it sounds like the rules are different at your bar vs. those on Thurston

It is my growing belief that the bars on Thurston draw and cater to a 'criminal element' (and i am not saying that every single person who goes to them is a criminal)..... It may not be the 'bars' themselves, but it seems quite clear that a number of the people who GO TO these bars have a complete disregard for a variety of laws - i.e. parking, littering, shooting people, assaults, etc. I have yet to meet anyone who LIVES in the 19th ward who frequents these establishments - and the only stories I've heard are those of violence and disregard for humanity......(these bars are NOT the same 'neighborhood' places they were long ago - when they served food throughout the day)

The fact that every single weekend people park ILLEGALLY without consequence is a considerable problem- and, it sends a very STRONG message that it's OK to disobey the law on Thurston Road - because nobody cares and/or those that do are hiding in their homes or going elsewhere for evening entertainment.

The bars ARE drug houses- they just happen to be selling a LEGAL drug, but any chemical dependency expert will tell you that alcohol is FAR more dangerous than most 'street' drugs - combine it with the other drugs available on Thurston and you increase the danger. These same bars are also 'nuisance properties' given the traffic they create, the litter they create and the people in/out using alcohol. Let's put them in the SAME category as the drug houses and do something!

Comment by Anthony Fasolo on October 25, 2009 at 3:23am

I understand we all need to make a living, and myself as a bartender I see a lot of undesirable human behavior, more so than I would like. However, when someone else's livelihood/business begins to become a problem for the community on a whole, I do believe that it is the communities interests that ultimately have more weight.

It is a bar owners responsibility to keep his establishment running safe and with as little impact on it's neighbors as possible. Bars are not healthy environments, they never have been and no amount of legislation will change that. It deals in controlled substances the alter peoples behavior and diminishes their ability to think rationally. Bars are not in the business of selling dresses or candy - they sell alcohol, and the responsibility that comes along with that is huge. If a bar owner cannot handle that responsibility then it's time to get out of the business.

A bar owner may not have anything directly to do with the chaos that ensues in or around their establishment, but that is not the issue. The issue is that a problem bar or establishment can become a gathering point for unsavory situations and characters. Something attracts it and often enough it could simply be a case of being submissive, or permissive to the wrong clientele or simply just looking the other way.

I would love to have more sympathy in the matter, but seeing what the owners of my bar go through and how strict they are about their establishment I can not excuse someone else's inability to do the same thing.

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