BusinessReport.com

City officials and nightclub owners are negotiating heightened safety measures for Baton Rouge’s fledgling downtown scene.

The discussions began even before fights erupted last weekend between police and patrons or passers-by along Third Street—home to Lyceum Dean, Happy’s Irish Pub, The Roux House, D’Agostinos, Boudreaux & Thibodeaux, Schlittz & Giggles, Avoyelles Café, M Bar and, just around the corner on Laurel Street, the Wine Loft.

Witnesses say as many as 20 police units responded just after 1 a.m. Sunday to complaints of loud music and a crowd of about 200 people blocking the street outside Avoyelles Café and M Bar. One man was Tasered three times, and an LSU linebacker got a misdemeanor summons after both allegedly scuffled with officers. Schlittz & Giggles patrons were barred from leaving until the streets were cleared.

Jack Warner, a club owner who opened the Roux House in January 2005 and has since added Happy’s Irish Pub and Schlittz & Giggles, says he’s worried about the impact such incidents will have on the image of Baton Rouge’s downtown night life, which is still in its infancy. “Basically, this was a party that spilled out from one of the clubs into the street late at night,” says Warner, who was there Sunday morning and has pictures and a videotape, which he declined to share with Daily Report. “There was a lack of police presence, then all of the sudden there was a lot of police presence and a situation occurred. They had to make a few arrests and disperse the people. This just isn’t what we want downtown to be.”

Warner and other property owners have complained to Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer, who met with the police department this week and looks for some significant changes on the horizon, including a boosted nighttime police presence, policies requiring more security for large private parties and perhaps the periodic closing of streets where clubs are concentrated.

“Certainly, everybody wants a clean and safe environment to go to, and I don’t think it’s any different down here,” Rhorer says. “Looking at the amount of stuff we have going on downtown on the weekends, there are lots and lots of people. The dynamics of downtown are changing right now, and as we grow and develop, we have to address the issues that come with that.”

Mike Futrell, an assistant chief administrative officer for the city/ parish, apparently is looking into the matter for Mayor Kip Holden. Efforts to reach Futrell on Friday morning were unsuccessful.

Sgt. Don Kelly says Baton Rouge police initially were called to Third Street just after midnight after complaints of a large crowd blocking the roadway. Officers simply dispersed the crowd and were on their way. They were dispatched to the same scene again an hour later when a club bouncer called 911 to say a car with a booming stereo had attracted a crowd and was blocking the street.

An officer told 21-year-old Quintin Alonzo Williams to turn down the music and move on, Kelly says, but Williams cursed and instead turned the music up. The officer then tried to pull Williams out of the 1999 Pontiac Firebird, prompting Williams to allegedly push the officer, pin him against another vehicle and start fighting. That’s when another officer Tasered him. Williams was arrested and charged with several counts. The Police Department later towed his car and discovered an AK-47 with 28 rounds in the magazine, but he is not facing any weapons charges.

Around the same time, 21-year-old Shomari Clemons, an LSU sophomore linebacker from West Monroe, allegedly clenched his fists and shoved a police officer after he was told to leave Third Street. The officer sprayed him with pepper spray, and then struck him in the leg with a baton after Clemons allegedly dropped his hands near his waistband, apparently leading the officer to believe he might be reaching for a weapon. Clemons got a misdemeanor summons charging him with battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. LSU suspended him from the football team pending an investigation.

Avoyelles Café General Manager Matthew Carrier says Avoyelles played host to a private party of about 200 people Saturday night, but that the crowd “was dismissed in an orderly fashion. We didn’t have any problems inside of the house.” The problems apparently began after they got out onto Third Street, although it isn’t clear whether those involved in the incidents were patrons or passers-by.

Carrier says the club hires private security to check identification and ensure patrons are wearing proper attire. From time to time, they also hire deputies and police officers to control a crowd. That was not the case Saturday night, though. The general manager says there was just one officer on duty in addition to the usual security. He, too, wants to see a greater police presence, as well as the streets blocked off in the evenings, French Quarter-style.

“In that area, you’re looking at several bars and restaurants that are growing more and more popular, so we’re starting to get bigger and bigger crowds,” Carrier says. “We’ve been asking for them to block off the streets for awhile. That would give us a nice venue of music and entertainment, and a safe place for people to walk.”

Club owners say this isn’t the first time large crowds along Third Street have caused problems. But Kelly says he doesn’t know whether police have been dispatched to there on other occasions. He says it isn’t unusual for officers to get calls for crowd management all over town around 2 a.m. when the bars close—particularly spots where several establishments are clustered together.

Warner says he hopes the problem is fixed before it gets out of hand. “I just hope this is something that the mayor and the police chief address seriously,” he adds. “Everybody has a vested interest in seeing downtown prosper and be safe.”