Club owners seek to make nightlife safer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Local lawmakers talked about making bars safer places to be, especially at night and during special events.

This is a conversation about ways to make downtown a safer place and improve the nightlife experience. That conversation included the head of the State Liquor Authority.

Ellicott District councilmember Darius Pridgen said, "Like any other urban area and other city, you have few knuckleheads that come into establishments."

Nightclub owners and other stakeholders gathered at the public library downtown. The meeting councilmember Pridgen.

"I don't want anybody to get the impression that this meeting is about how do we shut downtown down. That's not my intention," said Pridgen.

Instead, it's about solutions and better communication, Pridgen says.

SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen said, "I think these issues are very, very serious."

Rosen came from Albany. He told licensees that responsibilities can't be put off on third parties, like promoters.

"The ultimate responsibility for what goes on in your premises, and directly around or contiguous to your premises rests with you," said Rosen.

There's now talk of a new law that would require establishments to notify Buffalo Police in advance of special events. Would it have made a difference in the City Grill shootings that left four people dead last August?

Pridgen said, "I think that the police force would have been man-powered a little differently, and deployed a little differently because they would have known there was a problem."

Police say they're always juggling events downtown and that can put a strain on resources.

Buffalo D District Police Chief Brian Patterson said, "We rely heavily on operators to be responsible in terms of running their businesses. We just do not have the resources we want in place to police everyone."

Soho owner Jay Manno said, "The cream rises to the top, so to speak. The guys that think long-term and long-term dollars, and not let's get rich today and worry about next year when next year comes, those are the ones that have survived."

Rosen says the State Liquor Authority wants to get out of the way of responsible businesses, but says licensees not living up to their responsibilities will be pursued.