Fight the NightLife 1am Closing Law, Do Your Part!!!!

[alexpearce]

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU OPPOSE THIS NEW 1:00 AM

NIGHTLIFE LICENSE PROPOSAL!

HONORABLE MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

MAYOR, CITY OF NEW YORK

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

PHONE: (212)788-3000

FAX: (212) 788-2460

HONORABLE GIFFORD MILLER

SPEAKER, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

PHONE: (212)788-7100

FAX: (212) 788-9296

EMAIL: miller@council.nyc.ny.us <mailto:miller@council.nyc.ny.us>

HONORABLE PHILIP REED

CHAIRMAN,COUNCIL CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

105 East 116th Street

New York, NY 10029

PHONE: (212) 828-9800

FAX: (212) 722-6378

EMAIL: reed@council.nyc.ny.us <mailto:reed@council.nyc.ny.us>

*Rumor has it that our government officials basically ignore emails so

either fax or mail your letters, TODAY. We need them to get stacks of them

everyday!

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I write to you to ask for the City Council's help in stopping the

Administration's relentless attack on small businesses in general and

nightlife businesses in particular. For the past two years, there has been a

nonstop war. A real estate tax increase that we, the tenants had to pay,

garbage fee increases, overwhelming numbers of summonses for minor

infractions, dramatic increases in fine schedules at the Health Department

and at Consumer Affairs, and of course, the smoking ban.

And now, the worst idea in decades, a post 1:00 am license law for nightlife

establishments that play music. Nightlife is not only one of the largest

industries in the City (close to a $10 billion dollar a year economic

impact, which dwarfs both Broadway and all NYC sport teams combined) employs

close to 20,000 people, contributed almost $400 million in tax revenues to

N.Y.C. and an additional $320 million to NY State, but nightlife is the

reason thousands of people move to NYC in the first place, and the prime

reason why young professionals stay here. Countless industries, from

fashion, to music, to taxis to many publications, depend on a vibrant

nightlife.

The reasons to oppose this dreadful license are too numerous to detail in a

short letter to you. But rest assured, that the business community will be

united in opposing this proposal. In fact, we strongly urge the Council to

stop this proposal in it's tracks. It should be D.O.A. at the Council

because:

1. Any movement, directly or indirectly, to close N.Y.C. down at 1:00am is

crazy and suicidal for our economy.

2. There is an alternative to this new, broader and offensive license, and

that is the Paid Detail Unit legislation pending before the Council for

almost a year. And the PDU bill has the added advantage of actually working

to solve legitimate complaints about street noise, rather than punishing

businesses for something they have no control over.

3. By banning smoking inside nightlife establishments, you have forced

thousands of people into the street, thereby increasing street noise and

complaints. Nightlife businesses should not, however, be punished for

enforcing this law.

4. If the noise code is not being properly enforced, or if it needs

revision, then let's address those issues. Requiring hundreds of businesses

that have never had a noise code violation to spend thousands of dollars to

obtain and maintain yet another license, one that can be easily revoked,

makes no sense whatsoever.

We urge you to lead on this issue and work with the business community, not

against us.

Very truly yours,

(Your Name)

[djrobjames]

printed out,and will be mailed,,,im doing my part!!!

[morgant]

I stand to oppose this attempt to close nightlife in NYC, the reason I decided to stay here for college is because I am among one of many NYC club promoters who depend on this business not only for money but means of enjoyment. I can't even count on my hands and toes how many people I used to talk to at clubs like Roxy, Exit, or Sound Factory who were from Europe or Africa and traveled thousands of miles to come to enjoy NYC nightlife. We as a whole in NYC depend on nightlife one way or the other believe it or not. If you aren't a dj, promoter, bouncer, club manager, owner, cashier, bartender, guestlist girl/guy, or whatever other jobs are given in nightclubs dont think your not going to be hurt from this. If you work for a printing company, radio station, advertising company, marketing company, magazine, clothes store, or even the hot dog stand on the corner that we all stumble to at 4am because we just danced our lives away, then you are going to be hurt as well. Bloomberg is among one of the most disliked mayors of all time, I am sure the last thing he cares about is our nightlife enjoyment because when you have billions of dollars, you dont need a club to make you smile. Everyone in NYC from all age groups from teens to adults and even seniors who remember what clubs did for them back in the day need to stand up and vote against this law. We all know deep down inside that we dont want to sit home on a weekend night because its 1am and everything is closed. To the people of NYC the sun doesn't rise until 1am, they think they are taking our night, but they are really taking our day.

[Guest clubgurl4evr]

yeah this is fucked up

i read about it on NYclubscene.com

IF THIS HAPPENS IM MOVING OUT OF COUNTRY

[kevinneci]

Are any of you aware that if this law goes into effect that it will abolish the ancient cabaret laws. Making it easier and cheaper for bars/lounges/clubs to obtain a license to allow patrons to dance. On the other hand it will also make it easier for bars/lounges/clubs to be shut down due to noise complaints, sanitation reasons etc. etc....

[chris817]

Like that girl said on Sex in the City before she fell out the window

This is what NY has come to smoking out a window

NEW YORK is OVA

[alexpearce]

I see alot of bitching about this new proposed law (me included)

But I hope in the same breath people are actaully copying the letter and faxing it to their representatives.

I think its hypocritical to speak passionately about how much you would hate this law and how much you love the club scene, and then not do your bit to fight it, even if it only takes 2 minutes.

Plur

[bassboy]

Send the letter!

[daillestmattyg]

i just printed about 20 copies and put the names of my friends and myself...... put all the names you know of people who would be greatly affected by this law including the clubbers(of course) the workers, promoters, DJ's, bouncers, anybody....lets flood the offices with these letters

[acura]

The City that never sleeps with a 1am curfue...gimme a break.

[bumpdaddy]

People are over reacting.... read the proposed law before you decide whether or not you are against it. There is NO LAW PROPOSED to have clubs close at 1AM. The law merely states that clubs that want to stay open after 1AM and have music playing above a 90db level have to have a permit. They also have to hire an audio engineer and properly sound proof the place. It doesn't seem like an unreasonable policy to me. Scroll down the page, read it and form your own opinion. The people who are against it are greedy club owners who are looking to cut corners......the same guys eager to charge 8 bucks for a beer....

There have to be some regullations....these are easy to deal with.

http://www.everythingny.com/archives/000546.html

[crowina]

How about giving them a letter like this:

Dear Mr. Bloomberg,

If you inforce the new 1:00am law, I, my friends, their friends, and their friends friends, will be forced to have the party some place else. A great place would be city hall! Since this is an outdoor party... I will bring lots of cigs.

Light up!!!

Sin. Yours,

New York City!!!!

[wallflour]

Originally posted by bumpdaddy

People are over reacting.... read the proposed law before you decide whether or not you are against it. There is NO LAW PROPOSED to have clubs close at 1AM. The law merely states that clubs that want to stay open after 1AM and have music playing above a 90db level have to have a permit. They also have to hire an audio engineer and properly sound proof the place. It doesn't seem like an unreasonable policy to me. Scroll down the page, read it and form your own opinion. The people who are against it are greedy club owners who are looking to cut corners......the same guys eager to charge 8 bucks for a beer....

There have to be some regullations....these are easy to deal with.

http://www.everythingny.com/archives/000546.html

I'm with you on that.

[wallflour]

on the NYC DCA site:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/pdf/nightlife.pdf

[chris817]

but with this license it will be easier for the city to shut down places they deem undesirable.

2 altercations in a certain time period the city can shut the business down indefenitly

How is that fair?

[pangelid]

Originally posted by bumpdaddy

People are over reacting.... read the proposed law before you decide whether or not you are against it. There is NO LAW PROPOSED to have clubs close at 1AM. The law merely states that clubs that want to stay open after 1AM and have music playing above a 90db level have to have a permit. They also have to hire an audio engineer and properly sound proof the place. It doesn't seem like an unreasonable policy to me. Scroll down the page, read it and form your own opinion. The people who are against it are greedy club owners who are looking to cut corners......the same guys eager to charge 8 bucks for a beer....

There have to be some regullations....these are easy to deal with.

-

http://www.everythingny.com/archives/000546.html

I agree. This policy was written to help the bars and lounges who could not qualify/afford the caberet license. No where in the bill does it say bars will close at one unless they do not conform with the law. The only thing I am concerned about is if the city put a limit on how many permits they will distribute. If the application process is completely objective, then yes, this is legislation in a positive direction.

Pros:

-Allows dancing in venues without caberet

-Lowers street volume and building volumes for nearby residents.

-People are happy

Cons:

-Bar/Club owners added expenses: Pay for permit, Pay for soundproofing

-Bars/Clubs subject to inspections

-Fines if in violation of program rules.

[bumpdaddy]

the intent of the proposed law is to keep the community boards happy. The main complaint from community boards is always the noise and reckless patrons... Community boards arent really concerned with what goes on inside a club. They are however very concerned about loud music and drunk patrons getting rowdy in the neighborhood. The permit process is much simpler than the existing cabaret licensing process and much cheaper. Depending on the capacity of the venue it will cost anywhere from 500 to 1000 dollars. DCA also claims that the turnaround time for permiting will be 30 days or less..Soundproofing and having an audio engineer available to sign off is something that a reputable club owner does anyway. As for people claiming this will make it easier for clubs to get shut down.. its already too late to be bringing that up... Any club can be shut down at any time if theres an investifation. Even with the tightest security... drugs get through and people get drunk and fight. I'm sure any club in the country could be shut down if the government wanted it shut. The rave act insures that... This law is not about persecuting club owners... its about weeding out the disreputable and unprofessional ones.

[ibiza193]

Originally posted by bumpdaddy

the intent of the proposed law is to keep the community boards happy. The main complaint from community boards is always the noise and reckless patrons... Community boards arent really concerned with what goes on inside a club. They are however very concerned about loud music and drunk patrons getting rowdy in the neighborhood. The permit process is much simpler than the existing cabaret licensing process and much cheaper. Depending on the capacity of the venue it will cost anywhere from 500 to 1000 dollars. DCA also claims that the turnaround time for permiting will be 30 days or less..Soundproofing and having an audio engineer available to sign off is something that a reputable club owner does anyway. As for people claiming this will make it easier for clubs to get shut down.. its already too late to be bringing that up... Any club can be shut down at any time if theres an investifation. Even with the tightest security... drugs get through and people get drunk and fight. I'm sure any club in the country could be shut down if the government wanted it shut. The rave act insures that... This law is not about persecuting club owners... its about weeding out the disreputable and unprofessional ones.

this law sucks plain and simple..

i'll give you an example..

you open a club, get it certified,get all the permits,etc, now your legal.

now do you know how easy it is to get 3 violations..

people are out side smoking cig..neighbors complain. violation 1

someone starts a fight in your club.. violation 2

you have some flyier's on the street pass 6:00. violation 3

now your closed..you did everything in your power to stay open.what do you do next?

you can't sugar coat this law

[bumpdaddy]

Originally posted by ibiza193

this law sucks plain and simple..

i'll give you an example..

you open a club, get it certified,get all the permits,etc, now your legal.

now do you know how easy it is to get 3 violations..

people are out side smoking cig..neighbors complain. violation 1

someone starts a fight in your club.. violation 2

you have some flyier's on the street pass 6:00. violation 3

now your closed..you did everything in your power to stay open.what do you do next?

you can't sugar coat this law

I have to disagree...

you didn't do everything in your power to stay open because :

1. You didn't attempt to control the crowd outside your club. The law states that you have to make a "good faith effort" it also states the following:

Establishments with capacity levels of 500 or more occupants will be required to have one state-certified security guard for every 50 occupants. These guards would also be responsible for maintaining order outside the establishment when needed.

Nightlife establishments must make a good faith effort to ensure that the crowds entering or leaving do not cause disturbances and that vehicles outside are quiet. In addition, establishments will be required to keep the areas outside the establishment clean.

2. With proper security no bar fight should escalate to the point where it becomes an issue...you're also mistaken about the violation. A club doesn't get a violation because a fight breaks out... here is what the law says

DCA will be able to revoke a license if the location is repeatedly in violation of any three of the following egregious City or State laws: unlicensed sale of liquor; sale of liquor to minors; overcapacity; disabled sprinkler systems, exit signs or emergency lighting; blocked or locked exits; assault; rape or attempted rape; possessions of weapons; or homicide.

A fight is not an assault or rape.. in order for the club to get a violation .. one of the fighters has to be formally charged with assault. Even then the violation can be reversed if the individual isn't convicted.

3. Flyers on the ground just shouldnt be there. Other businesses are fined for this... why should a nightclub be any different? If the flyers are on the ground they're obviously not doing much promotion for you anyway...

People are against this and they dont even know why... You should be concentrating your efforts on this:

http://www.emdef.org/hr834/

This is the government at work trying to discourage club owners and promoters from even throwing a party...

[ibiza193]

Originally posted by bumpdaddy

I have to disagree...

you didn't do everything in your power to stay open because :

1. You didn't attempt to control the crowd outside your club. The law states that you have to make a "good faith effort" it also states the following:

Establishments with capacity levels of 500 or more occupants will be required to have one state-certified security guard for every 50 occupants. These guards would also be responsible for maintaining order outside the establishment when needed.

Nightlife establishments must make a good faith effort to ensure that the crowds entering or leaving do not cause disturbances and that vehicles outside are quiet. In addition, establishments will be required to keep the areas outside the establishment clean.

2. With proper security no bar fight should escalate to the point where it becomes an issue...you're also mistaken about the violation. A club doesn't get a violation because a fight breaks out... here is what the law says

DCA will be able to revoke a license if the location is repeatedly in violation of any three of the following egregious City or State laws: unlicensed sale of liquor; sale of liquor to minors; overcapacity; disabled sprinkler systems, exit signs or emergency lighting; blocked or locked exits; assault; rape or attempted rape; possessions of weapons; or homicide.

A fight is not an assault or rape.. in order for the club to get a violation .. one of the fighters has to be formally charged with assault. Even then the violation can be reversed if the individual isn't convicted.

3. Flyers on the ground just shouldnt be there. Other businesses are fined for this... why should a nightclub be any different? If the flyers are on the ground they're obviously not doing much promotion for you anyway...

People are against this and they dont even know why... You should be concentrating your efforts on this:

http://www.emdef.org/hr834/

This is the government at work trying to discourage club owners and promoters from even throwing a party...

1.who's to say what good faith means..and how many clubs have you been to..i've seen crazy security out side, and a club still has people all over the place..have you ever seen it outside on a night a big dj spins exp. sasha&digweed,PVD,it's always crazy.

and what about the smokers, what i'm sapouse to stand out side and smoke my cig in silence..usually everyone is pretty wild up for the night so when your outside smoking it's pretty hard just to stand there and be quiet.

2.the flyers out side are usually not from your club, your right about othe buisness being fined for litter, and so should a club, but if you got guys from all over handing out flyer, either in front of your club or down the block, what do you do..

3.i'm not shore about the fighting and the assault..but isn't an assualt when someone hits you?

4.and i'll give anther violation, drug selling in the club..

i don't care how much security you put in the drugs are going to find there way in..that's why they close twilo wasn't it..i use feel like i was getting a full cavity surch at twilo, but drugs still found there way in.

and if someone doesn't want you open, whether it's someone who lives on the block or your local compition, it's very easy for them to close you down.

[bumpdaddy]

Originally posted by ibiza193

1.who's to say what good faith means..and how many clubs have you been to..i've seen crazy security out side, and a club still has people all over the place..have you ever seen it outside on a night a big dj spins exp. sasha&digweed,PVD,it's always crazy.

and what about the smokers, what i'm sapouse to stand out side and smoke my cig in silence..usually everyone is pretty wild up for the night so when your outside smoking it's pretty hard just to stand there and be quiet.

2.the flyers out side are usually not from your club, your right about othe buisness being fined for litter, and so should a club, but if you got guys from all over handing out flyer, either in front of your club or down the block, what do you do..

3.i'm not shore about the fighting and the assault..but isn't an assualt when someone hits you?

4.and i'll give anther violation, drug selling in the club..

i don't care how much security you put in the drugs are going to find there way in..that's why they close twilo wasn't it..i use feel like i was getting a full cavity surch at twilo, but drugs still found there way in.

and if someone doesn't want you open, whether it's someone who lives on the block or your local compition, it's very easy for them to close you down.

I'm not gonna argue the point.. The fact is that most major nightclub owners support the proposed law... in fact many of the new clubs that have recently opened or are opening in the near future are already complying with these conditions as part of their agreements with community board 4. It's very easy to rope off the line outside.. its equally as easy to rope off a smoking area.. Nobody says that people have to be silent outside..... you can have a conversation with a volume level below 90db... If flyers are coming from another club that can be easily verified and you can notify the department of sanitation who will in turn fine the club owner for each flyer... The club is responsible to keep the sidewalk in front clean.. not the entire block...

The drug scenario and security issues can easily be complied with. A reasonable good faith effort isn't hard to comprehend. In fact .. there's a very easy way to know what's expected... communication with the local police precinct... If you actively communicate with the local precinct and comply with their requests and allow them into your club to make routine inspections in good faith you dont have much to worry about. security cameras at the entrance recording your door man's search of patrons on the way in is also a good way to document your efforts. Nobody expects club owners to strip search every patron and everyone know that drugs will get through... The city is looking to weed out the clubs that look the other way and/or encourage drug dealing/use.

By the way .... NONE OF THESE LAWS ARE NEW.... the only thing this law proposes to do is consolidate the authority to one agency. In the past club owners have had to deal with 4 or 5 different entities to get a cabaret license... Now they'll only have to deal with DCA.

The only ones complaining about these laws are the smaller bars that want to have music but don't want to invest the money in doing it properly. I haven't heard any noise from any of the real nightclubs...

read the link before you start making your own assumptions

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/pdf/nightlife.pdf

[leftymo]

ha....

The NY nightlife is probably the ONLY thing good about New York, and now they want to curtail that?

The smoking rule is about 10 years late, but at least its there (way to catch up with the rest of society)...

as for smoking outside, what's the big deal? oh 10 degree weather isn't fun? too f'in bad.

as for noise reduction... noise reduction? in the city? are you kidding me? There's no place louder than the city... in the entire US!

[bumpdaddy]

Originally posted by leftymo

ha....

The NY nightlife is probably the ONLY thing good about New York, and now they want to curtail that?

The smoking rule is about 10 years late, but at least its there (way to catch up with the rest of society)...

as for smoking outside, what's the big deal? oh 10 degree weather isn't fun? too f'in bad.

as for noise reduction... noise reduction? in the city? are you kidding me? There's no place louder than the city... in the entire US!

yes .. new york is a loud city...weekdays from 8 am to about 8 pm.... not much clubbing going on then.. Its actually pretty quiet at night.. especially after 1am.. Theres a reason why this law is even being proposed .. some club owners are just bad neighbors .. and many bars have opened in residential neighborhoods.. bars that are not carrently licensed to have live music but do it anyway. It's also being proposed to streamline the process for reputable people who want to open new clubs.

[leftymo]

"Its actually pretty quiet at night.. especially after 1am.. Theres a reason why this law is even being proposed .. some club owners are just bad neighbors .. and many bars have opened in residential neighborhoods.. bars that are not carrently licensed to have live music but do it anyway. It's also being proposed to streamline the process for reputable people who want to open new clubs."

Well, the only time I'm ever in the city is at night, so no, its not quiet at night. I guess its even louder during the day!

I can understand residential areas wanting some peace and quiet... and perhaps that's why they're instituting this law or at least contemplating it.

But I do agree that the nightlife is one of the strengths of the city... The only time I ever spend money in that area is b/c of the nightlife. Otherwise I would have no business there.

[bumpdaddy]

nightlife is one of the many strengths of this city.... We also have world class restaurants, hotels and other entertainment venues (Broadway Theatres, museums etc.) ... Why shouldn't New York have world class nightclubs... things are off to a good start this year... I don't think this law is unreasonable. I'm not saying it's perfect but it's much better than what's been going on....