Saturday, June 06, 2009

The Biggest Bar Crawl

Well, the bars of Lincoln Park have done it again.

Since nobody's watching the store (I mean The Store), or helping us with the state we're in (I mean STATE), they think we're all a bunch of Fools. At least a dozen bars all over Lincoln Park are hosting The World's Biggest Bar Crawl all day today, starting at 10 a.m. and going all day, and even some of the bars don't know about it. (I just went across the street to Sterch's and they were getting ready for a rugby game; the bartender said that the organizers didn't even tell him what the specials were supposed to be.)

They didn't tell the alderman. They didn't tell the police or fire departments. They didn't tell neighborhood groups. They just decided to do it.

They did tell select media, through a professionally done PowerPoint media kit. It's obviously a professionally organized, well-funded event. But they didn't tell neighbors a thing. They didn't appear at the CAPS meetings, they didn't go to a community meeting. They didn't do what the business community is obligated to do when borrowing our neighborhood for a day.

The promotional materials they deemed fit to send to The Reader nitelife pages say: "An army of over 5,000 barflies will march on Lincoln Park's bars, intent on crushing the world bar crawl record, currently held by New York." They know it's going to be bedlam.

There will be urine flowing through the alleys like a river of spent beer. Probably some fecal matter to go with it, as I've reported numerous times. Spatters of vomit on every sidewalk. Broken windows. Damaged cars. Panties. Food on the ground. And screaming like we've never heard before.

And they didn't tell anyone but their friends. What a shame.

There ought to be a law. In fact, there is. They're charging admission, they're assembling a large number of people. There are laws associated with that.

Let's help Alderman Daley (773-327-9111, vidaley@cityofchicago.org) enforce this law. Rachel Goodstein has already contacted alderman, police, and fire departments, and none of them knew about it. She and I have been trying to do what little we can with 36 hours' notice. Contact today's 18th District watch commander, Capt. Crotty (312-742-5870) and Engine Co. 22 on Armitage (312-664-5028) if you see any problems (vandalism, bar overcrowding, illegal behavior). They will want to know. I'll be taking a few pictures for show-and-tell.

And let's bring it up at the CAPS/DAC and community meetings over the next few weeks. This is what happens with the "strong mayor, weak council" perversion of government we have here.