Law would keep under-agers off Chippewa

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Buffalo Common Council is poised to pass a new law governing the city's downtown Entertainment District to keep under-age patrons out.

Buffalo's Entertainment District, most notably Chippewa Street, is notorious for late-night crime and violence. Often that violence involves people under 21, who've been illegally served alcohol.

That's why the Buffalo Common Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit businesses with liquor licenses from letting the under-age crowd in at night.

Ellicott District Councilman Darius Pridgen said, "It would limit that from occurring after 10:00 p.m. in a certain segment of downtown Buffalo."

That segment would be bordered by Tupper Street to the north, Main Street to the east, Seneca Street to the south and Elmwood Avenue to the west. The new law would give authorities unprecedented power to go after businesses that serve alcohol to minors.

"That club could be shut down that night, by police or by someone from licensing. So that's pretty serious, when you're talking about someone coming in and finding 18-year-olds in your club and being able to immediately shut you down," explained Pridgen.

These new rules are the ideas of the businessowners themselves.

Pridgen noted, "I'm not on Chippewa at 11 o'clock at night; I had no idea co-mingling was going on. Some of the business owners brought this to me, as their councilmember, to ask me to pay attention to this."

Businesses could apply for a special permit to host an "over-under" event. In order to get it, they'd have to present a detailed security plan and the Common Council would approve each permit on a case-by-case basis.