Neighbors and Neighborhood Bars
By JENNIFER TETI
Editorial Assistant
The Pine Hills Neighborhood As-
sociation met on Thursday, October
18th at the Vincentian Community
Center to discuss ‘Neighbors and
Neighborhood Bars.”
The panel, which included repre-
sentatives of bar owners, the Pine
Hills student community, neighbor-
hood representatives, and enforcement
authorities, discussed the problem of
student drinking and carousing in the
area.
In the last two to three years, the
situation has gotten worse. Of the
1,000 students who live in the area,
approximately 100 of them are out in
an evening, acting as if the neighbor-
hood belongs to them.. Naturally with
house parties, there is loud noise and
music. The citizens complained about
being woken up at 3 or 4 o'clock in
the morning. They also complained
about vandalism. Wooden fences are
often broken, litter is strewn all over
people’s yards, porches and driveways.
Previously, when the drinking age
was 18, all the partying was in the
bars, and bar owners were more
responsible. Now people drink il-
legally at house parties, or by bar
hopping.
Bar owners understand the problem
and realize that, although they can’t
control what someone does after he
leaves the bar, they can control the
amount of liquor they serve him.
Another problem lies with the
police. In times of trouble, it took
them 2% hours before they arrived.
Something must be done to improve
police response time—either by ex-
panding the number of police officers
or putting them on the street.
Naturally, none of these problems
will be solved overnight, but rather
with patience and hard work.