Daley to Wrigley bars: Curb booze sales or go dry (Obama's Chicago Machine showing us the future)

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | September 23, 2008 | BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

[uptoolate]

Bars and restaurants around Wrigley Field that ignore the city’s call to voluntarily cut off liquor sales after the seventh inning could face a dire alternative: Area residents could vote them dry, Mayor Daley warned Tuesday.

One day after bar owners reacted angrily to the city’s proposal, Daley defended it as "common sense." He argued that Cubs fans who’ve been drinking up until the seventh-inning stretch of potential title-clinching games need, what he called, "some smoothing time" before the celebration begins in earnest. » Click to enlarge image Fans celebrate after the Cubs won the Central Division title. Mayor Daley (inset) warned that residents could vote bars and restaurants around Wrigley Field dry if they don't voluntarily cut off liquor sales after the seventh inning. (Chris Sweda/Jean Lachat/Sun-Times)

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"This is about the Cubs. This is about where they worked so hard all year to get to. This is not about a lot of fans and a lot of drinking. We don’t want to see any incident outside, because if there is, that whole area will be voted dry tomorrow. Those citizens will get together and say, ‘I’m gonna vote every precinct dry. I’ll even vote Cubs Field dry," Daley said.

"They’re gonna have their reveille in the street. But, I don’t want first responders hurt. I don’t want any citizen hurt. I don’t want to see an ambulance trying to drive down the street loaded with people," said the mayor. "We don’t need your cameras up there showing people getting injured. They’re gonna win it on the field and not on the street. You can drink as much beer for seven innings as you want. Give me a break."

The Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this week that bars and restaurants surrounding Wrigley would be asked to voluntarily stop serving alcohol after the seventh-inning stretch — just as they do inside the ballpark — to prevent Cubs playoff celebrations from turning ugly.

The proposed sevenh-inning cut-off would apply only to potential title-clinching games and last until the game is over. It would affect roughly 40 establishments on Sheffield between Newport and Irving; on Clark from Irving Park to Newport and on Addison from Wilton to Racine.

Bar owners reacted angrily, arguing that customers who don’t get served will get up and leave and never come back.

Daley was not sympathetic.

"Then I’ll have someone buy their place tomorrow. It’s not gonna cost ’em any business. They made enough money all year. I’m sorry. We’re just talking about common sense. That’s all this is. Because I’ll tell you one thing — if that community sees something they don’t like, they will not have a bar. They will not have a liquor license. They will vote it completely dry," the mayor said.

Despite the mayor's vigorous defense, local Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) has not yet signed on to Daley’s proposal. Tunney, owner of Ann Sather’s restaurants and a former liquor license holder, said bar owners need to have their say at a meeting Monday.

"I’m concerned that there’s a precedent here that needs to be thought out. On any given special event, the city could come in and restrict liquor sales for public safety reasons. This throws a new wrinkle on a way to manage this and a concern that this could be used at a moment’s notice. There will be a concern about having an ever- widening scale of prohibition," Tunney said.

"The first blush is, ‘Oh, my God. This is ridiculous. As a business operator, I know how to handle crowds.’ If I step back, count for 10 seconds, sleep on it, maybe we can tweak it and make it even better for the city and the community. I think we’ll get some movement from both sides."

Tunney said the Daley administration initially wanted the seventh- inning cut-off to apply to all playoff games, not just potential title clinchers. They also wanted to implement it last weekend, when the Cubs clinched the Central Division championship.

"I said there wasn't enough notice," he said.

[uptoolate]

Bar owners reacted angrily, arguing that customers who don’t get served will get up and leave and never come back.

Daley was not sympathetic.

"Then I’ll have someone buy their place tomorrow. It’s not gonna cost ’em any business. They made enough money all year. I’m sorry. We’re just talking about common sense."

McCain have time to edit his latest "Machine" add?

[2ndDivisionVet]

Boy, I’m glad there’s no chance of us living under a Chicago-style thugocracy!

[Secret Agent Man]

Fascist moron.

No offense, but they are already WAAAAAAY-ass drunk before the seventh inning.

[denydenydeny]

"They made enough money all year."

Again, the modern Democrat Party is a collection of Ayn Rand villains come to life.

[FrdmLvr]

Very well stated.

[LukeL]

Didn’t Chicago have a problem with underground bars in the 1920s? Of course I could be thinking of some other city.

[henkster]

Daley’s home neighborhood is at 31st & Shields, four blocks north of the White Sox park. 0bama is a declared Sox fan. They are Cub haters.

Cubs; World Series Champs in ‘08!!! (True; they did win in 1908)

[buccaneer81]

Cubs Field

Boy, as a supposed native, he's really in touch, isn't he?

Almost makes you forgive Jeff Gordon for calling it "Wrigley Stadium."

[GoLightly]

No offense, but they are already WAAAAAAY-ass drunk before the seventh inning.

You got that right.

[PhiKapMom]

Figures they are Cub haters. Went to my first game in Wrigley Field last May when I visited my son in Chicago. Wanted to do that my whole life and the experience was everything I thought it would be. You can walk around Wrigley Field and not have to worry.

Not sure I would want to be walking around the southside at night!

GO CUBS!

[weegee]

I’d complain but I’m living under a police ordered citywide curfew in a city of 4 million even though only the mayor and governor can make such a declaration.

I loathe Democrats.

[uptoolate]

No offense, but they are already WAAAAAAY-ass drunk before the seventh inning.

You got that right.

Well, they are Cubs fans. 100 years without a Series win? I'd drink too.

[Kevmo]

nanny state ping.

He argued that Cubs fans who’ve been drinking up until the seventh-inning stretch of potential title-clinching games need, what he called, “some smoothing time” before the celebration begins in earnest. »

[Army Air Corps]

Ping!

[Rome2000]

100 years without a Series win

This is the beginning of the next 100 years.

I curse Daley and the Cubs for not letting the working man have a beer after the seventh inning.

Cubs are toast.

[Eric Blair 2084]

It’s for the chilruns.

[GoLightly]

Be nice if they stayed home to do it. Their last season games in Milwaukee will probably be the usual drunken brawl.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junkie, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Egalitarian, Central Planning, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi, Socialism, Collectivism

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