LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Last call may come earlier in Louisville if a Metro Council member's plan to fix a rash of late-night murders in the city is approved.
Fatima Matanovic, of Newburg, was out shopping in the Highlands only hours after it had been cleared of the latest late-night murder around 4 a.m. Sunday — just as some bars were closing.
"We do need some kind of control," Matanovic said.
Now, Louisville Metro Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-8, wants two hours less of party time in the city because of it.
Right now, last call in Louisville is 4 a.m. But Chambers Armstrong, who represents the Highlands, is considering changing it to 2 a.m. — at least temporarily — after a string of violence near bars in the area in recent weeks.
"We don't have those issues here at our business,” said Rowdy Whitworth, referring to the violence in Louisville. “We also maintain and monitor who we have coming into our business.”
He owns Chill Bar Highlands on Bardstown Road and says a change in closing times would be a shot to the city's bar scene, which has yet to recover from pandemic closures and setbacks.
"If you think that closing for two hours is going to correct the problem ... I don't understand the logic or the thinking here," he added.
Gerstles owner Eric White says he is a bit more understanding. His Frankfort Avenue bar is open seven days a week until 4 a.m.
He said forcing bars to stop serving alcohol early has its benefits.
"I'm all for it,” said White. “It definitely couldn't hurt in the respect of curbing the uptick in crime."
Besides his own business, White expresses concern about Louisville's bar culture.
"Speaking for us personally, we don't sell that much more alcohol from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.,” he said. “That's when all our scuffles break out, that's when the idiot in the corner is throwing up."
In a statement, Chambers Armstrong said, “This is one tool available to us, and—while I don’t think it will solve all of the issues—it could be a start.”
Whitworth said there are ways to deal with troublesome bars without hurting responsible bar owners.
"Maybe we address that on an individual basis," said Whitworth.
Meanwhile, White says the city should take a "slower approach" instead of a blanket policy change.
"Why don't we start off a little bit slower and go to 3 a.m. Why don't we find a happy medium? Let's start there, instead of pushing for 2 a.m.," he suggests.
Chambers Armstrong has not yet filed the ordinance, saying she wants to get more public input first. She says, if approved, she will push for an earlier bar closing last until the end of the year.
Read her full statement on the issue below:
"I’m strongly considering filing an ordinance to temporarily roll back the liquor license hours from 4 am to 2 am. This provision would be in effect through the end of this calendar year. This idea came from meetings with various stakeholders about the late night gun violence—and other late night issues—in our city. These challenges are exacerbated currently given the shortage of police officers to help respond to residents’ concerns."
"My council district has the densest concentration of 4 a.m. liquor licenses, and state law gives us very limited tools to address the issues that come with a high density of these licenses. This is one tool available to us, and—while I don’t think it will solve all of the issues—it could be a start. I look forward to hearing feedback from the community as I weigh whether to move forward. I urge anyone with thoughts to get in touch."
Related Stories:
- Coroner identifies man shot and killed in the Highlands early Sunday morning
- Louisville man identified in fatal Highlands shooting
- Man killed outside popular Highlands bar identified
- Police: Louisville man arrested after running toward Highlands bar with gun 'in ready position'
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