All Nite

27Oct09

So apparently the Queensland Police Union thinks that by shutting all the club doors in the Valley at 2am, the problem of alcohol fueled violence will stop. Their reasoning: most of the violence happens after 2, so by stopping the clubs from operating, the violence will disappear.

Ok, so no politician is going to read this, but here goes.

1. Violence in the Valley mostly happens in the streets, in lines for things like taxis and when trying to get into a club after lock out.

2. Clubs are safe. When I am out after 1/2am I stay in a club, because it beats being on the street. Closing the clubs forces me onto the street.

3. The lockout is dodgy as it is, because you end up with a stack of people stuck on the street at 3am that can’t get into clubs, but at least door security is still  there. Shut everything at 2 and you have way more people stuck on the street. More people stuck in the Mall is not a good thing.

If they do this, and I am so moving if they do, they need to stagger the times. Cut off drinks at 2, but leave the clubs open, but don’t let others in. Or let a day club open. Frankly, i like dancing til dawn. Dancing til 2am just doesn’t have the same vibe.

The biggest flaw is this: the leader of the QPSU said people will just learn to go out earlier (instead of the 10pm average). So, if the same amount of people go out, just earlier, and consume the same amount of drinks, than wouldn’t everyone just be as trashed at Midnight as they would be at 3am?

Meanwhile, others are saying: “if you can’t get drunk between 7pm and midnight you’re not trying hard enough” Well, binge drinking comments aside, I know that if I drank between 7 and Midnight I would be tipsy but I, and most of the people I know, pace ourselves. You can’t dance if you’re falling over.

I lived in the Valley for 4 years. I have been out until 5am every Friday night for the past 6 weeks. I have seen some bad stuff. But it isn’t huge and shutting the clubs isn’t going to fix it. Better crowd control, more outdoor space (safe and patrolled) for people to go. The Valley’s problem is that it is only 2 blocks, bordered by 2 major roads, and that most of the mall space is taken up with tables and chairs from clubs and restaurants.

We need safe spaces in the Valley for people to chill. If people chill, they won’t kill (hehe a rhyme – it can be my motto)

 

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