Hoboken’s Parade Day Compromise

Actually I don’t think of it as a compromise. I wrote recently that the town was considering delaying the opening of bars, restaurants on Parade Day (March 3, 2007) in an effort to curb drunken behavior. To many, this was a stupid idea that promised to do nothing more than kill the day and the […]


Actually I don’t think of it as a compromise.

I wrote recently that the town was considering delaying the opening of bars, restaurants on Parade Day (March 3, 2007) in an effort to curb drunken behavior. To many, this was a stupid idea that promised to do nothing more than kill the day and the revenue it brings.

So there was a vote. The result was overwhelming that the bars, restaurants, delis and other businesses should not be made to take the brunt of the punishment for the actions of drunken fools. It is well established that most of the problems come from private house parties and not public gatherings.

So the town is doing something I think it should have done years ago. They’re stepping up police presence on that day. Even better, this increased force will actually arrest people for loitering, littering, defacing, pissing, yelling, fighting and all the rest. This is why I don’t think of this as a compromise rather as a normal necessity of public service.

See, I for one hate Parade Day. A bunch of amateurs running around, painted green and making a foolish nuisance of themselves. Still I feel they have the right to do that, provided they don’t’ break the law. In past years, it was common practice for the police to simply keep troublemakers moving. This year, there will be arrests. And for that, I’m happy.

Hoboken is a party town. Its main source of revenue and attraction to the new residents is the night life. So instead of making a place like the deli on the corner suffer because some jack ass at a house party just puked on you front stoop, maybe the right thing to do is find that guy and lock him up for a night. Anyone ever watch ‘Scared Straight’ when they were kids?

I would like to thank the chief of police for proposing this new action. And as for the $25,000 in police overtime this will cost; this is a fraction of what money is made on Parade Day. I’d also like to thank those members of the council who had enough sense to see the far reaching impact closing down Hoboken’s hospitality industry would have. Even for just a brief period of six hours on that day.

So eat, drink and behave yourselves. This is my town. Thanks for visiting. Please leave it the way you found it.


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