New bill would create a registry of all the bands and DJs that play Philly: ‘It’s become necessary’

[haele]

12. Overboard reaction to a legitimate problem.

A couple decades ago, I lived in a 3rd floor studio with a large balcony that overlooked a small bar and dance club that catered to a local military base in an otherwise residential neighborhood. Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends were event nights, and it was always a miserable experience for residents; parking and just the access to the various apartment complexes around was always a pain after 7pm, and every month there would inevitably be one or two major fights in the parking lot or on the streets around the club between 11 and midnight - usually over a date or a slight fender bender, but there were occasions it was between one band and another after the sets were over.
My balcony was hit by bullets three times the year and a half I lived there, and I still have the 9mm slug that landed one midnight in my potted herbs rattling around somewhere. I kind of understand why the police might want to know if there's going to be a controversial performer in a small venue where there's not usually sufficient security if there's a major altercation.

Event participation spillage from small venues often causes issues in neighborhoods where there is a strong confrontational presence (homeowner's associations, gangs - culture, drug or race-related, ad-hoc neighborhood watch organizations, etc.) that takes umbrage to outsiders. Bands often have conflicts with each other, and if one is booked and the other isn't aware of it, or fills in for someone else at the last minute, there can be loud arguments and other signs of displeasure between the two. Conflicts over parking between residents and event participations is also a major problem.

Those are legitimate issues related to policing. And I can see where there might be some legal or criminal cases where a club owner should be required to comply if asked to turn over information on performers at the club, etc... which they should already be collecting for accounting purposes, so it should be public record anyway (unless it's an open mike night).

But police (as opposed to fire marshals) approving all shows at all small venues, including the live-streaming of that show? And then being all huffy "Ask Public Affairs about this" when asked?
That's a bit overboard. And who's going to pay for this new approval requirement and the enforcement?

Haele