The recent spate of violence in downtown Hartford poses a significant threat to the future economic fortunes of the Capital City.
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra deserves credit for demanding the temporary closure of the Up or On the Rocks night club, following two fatal shootings that took place last month outside the Union Place bar.
Even temporary closure, however, doesn’t go far enough. The city and state should close Up or On the Rocks for good. There is too much at stake, and too much money being invested in Hartford right now to risk the downtown area being pegged as unsafe for people to live, work, and play.
Typically, we aren’t in the business of recommending the closure of private enterprises by government, but there is some precedent for this having a positive effect on the overall business climate in downtown.
In 2009, following a weekend of violence that included two separate shooting incidents, the state Department of Consumer Protection temporarily suspended the liquor license of the Mansion nightclub on Ann Uccello Street.
The Mansion never re-opened and shooting violence in downtown’s entertainment district largely dissipated after that.
That was until the two recent murders outside Up or On the Rocks. The city, possibly in conjunction with the state, needs to develop a comprehensive policy for dealing with violence in the entertainment district, which encompasses several blocks bounded by Asylum, Ann Uccello, and Allyn streets, and Union Place. If a violent crime occurs at a bar or club in downtown, the owner of that establishment should be forced to develop a comprehensive and convincing security plan and pay the full freight of the plan’s cost.
If a second violent crime occurs, the bar or club should have its liquor license revoked permanently, or on a temporary basis until city leaders feel confident that the establishment has put enough public protection in place.
Such a policy would send a strong message to all stakeholders — bar owners, the business community, and general public — that safety is paramount and rises above the interests of any single downtown business owner.
Even Business for Downtown Hartford — the group that lobbies on behalf of the merchants who make their living in the Capital City — has called for the closure of Up or On the Rocks.
The city deserves credit for being proactive on this issue. But providing adequate security in the entertainment district — and the city as a whole — is a complex matter, particularly at a time when budget purse strings are tightening.
In December the Hartford Business Journal reported that the Hartford Police Department asked some downtown bars and restaurants to help pay the overtime costs for police officers assigned to maintain order in the city’s entertainment district during the busiest nights of the week, when large crowds of partygoers pose the most risk for public safety threats.
The request was made by Hartford Police Chief James C. Rovella in conjunction with city officials. Some bar owners bristled at the request and potential increased costs, but it may be the best solution to stem a problem that can rear its ugly head at any moment.
After all, losing peace in the entertainment district would be a much higher price to pay for everyone involved.
