Don't stop the music

A bill that would kill 18-plus events at nightclubs needs vigorous opposition from concerned citizens -- of all ages

THE HEALTH OF Rhode Island's live music scene is in danger. As soon as next Tuesday, May 15, the House Special Legislation Committee will take a vote that could have dire and unintended consequences for music lovers, nightclubs, and the local economy. All this would stem from a move to ban those under 21 from club concerts and dance nights where alcohol is served.

Although this impending threat has gone virtually unmentioned in the mainstream media, a bill that would exact a harsh toll on nightlife sailed through the state Senate on May 1. The lack of attention has helped a coalition of supporters, including the city of Providence, Providence police, colleges such as Brown, RISD, and Johnson & Wales University, and a number of neighborhood groups, including the Jewelry District Association. Make no mistake: If this measure becomes law, the most immediate impact will likely be in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, but the effect will eventually spread throughout Rhode Island.

Now it's your turn.

Without opposition from concerned citizens (contact information for legislators follows the end of this editorial), it will be that much easier for lawmakers to approve the nightclub-licensing legislation -- Senate bill 0346 and House bill 6083. And if the 12-member House Special Legislation Committee passes the measure, the House of Representatives and Governor Lincoln Almond will probably approve it, too.

Young people are the lifeblood of popular culture. Rich Lupo, who graduated from Brown and opened Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in the mid-'70s, estimates that a third of the audience for shows at his club comes from the under-21 set. The actual percentage is probably even higher. But the viability of venues like Lupo's -- a vital part of the local arts and entertainment scene -- would be undercut by an inability to admit patrons under 21. By diminishing Providence's drawing power for out-of-town talent, the nightclub-licensing bill would punish music fans of all ages.

The privileged individuals and middle-aged bureaucrats at the institutions that support banning those under 21 from dance and concert nights have lost touch with how important the nightlife scene is. It provides entertainment, jobs, and tax revenues. Clubs might be able to offset some lost revenue by staging all-age dance parties without alcohol, but there's a very real danger that Providence -- which, as a far smaller city than Boston or New York, already faces some challenges in attracting premier out-of-town performers -- will lose many of the best shows that local music aficionados have long enjoyed.

During the city's lean years, the contribution of nightclubs was recognized along with such other attractions as Trinity Repertory Company and the Providence Performing Arts Center. Over the years, Providence Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci has been a vigorous supporter of the arts. Now, though, Patricia McLaughlin, the mayor's director of administration, is among those urging support for the under-21 ban, and the role of clubs in helping to promote Providence nightlife is conveniently forgotten. At a time when his years of efforts in promoting the city are increasingly yielding dividends, we're sad to see that Cianci appears to be having second thoughts about the importance of arts and entertainment in the capital city.

The proposed ban on those under 21 is troubling for other reasons. It would level sanctions against a group not because of their behavior, but their age. By seeking to squelch nightlife, it would contradict Downcity's envisioned future as a vibrant arts and entertainment district. The widespread availability to minors of alcohol and drugs like Ecstasy is certainly a real concern. As a society, though, we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking that keeping young people out of nightclubs will solve this problem when the best efforts of parents, schools, and law enforcement have failed to do so.

Already, there are members of the House Special Legislation Committee who recognize the misdirected quality of this legislative effort. "I don't see a [nightclub] ban as solving an under-age drinking problem per se," says House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson (R-East Greenwich). "I do know it will create difficulties with several live entertainment venues that breathe a lot of life into Providence. Frankly, we allow under-age individuals to patronize restaurants that serve alcohol. I really see no logical reason that a nightclub wouldn't be viewed in the same light."

The bill also fails to recognize that problems with rowdyism, snarled traffic, and post-closing loitering, far from being a city-wide or state-wide issue, are largely concentrated in the compact dance club district around Pine and Richmond streets in Providence. Colonel Richard Sullivan, the chief of police, says the situation would be very manageable if nightlife denizens came from just the local area.

But scores of other cities would welcome Providence's enhanced status as a regional attraction. We agree that nightlife in Providence should be free and safe from hooliganism. The challenge now rests in making the city's drawing power into an unquestioned asset, rather than splicing visitors into arbitrary and age-based categories of desirable and undesirable. At 18, Rhode Islanders are old enough to vote, gamble, and serve in the military. They're not old enough to drink legally, but they should certainly be able to dance and hear live music.

Even critics acknowledge that between 10 percent and 20 percent of club goers cause the vast majority of the problems. A better solution to nightlife headaches could be created through a compromise, such as allowing nightclubs to remain open past 2 a.m. on weekends, while halting drink service at 1:30 a.m. Steps like these could change patterns of behavior. Club goers would be more likely to trickle out, rather than leave en masse. Do nightclub owners need to be part of the search for a solution? Absolutely. But making the licensing bill into law would signal that Rhode Island, faced with some legitimate concerns about nightlife, responds with a cudgel, instead of pursuing a more creative approach.

Although the coalition backing the nightclub-licensing bill includes a number of organizations, institutions, and municipalities, the effort appears to mostly be the personal campaign of Michael Hogue, president of the Jewelry District Association, and Dan Baudouin, executive director of the Providence Foundation, who knowingly moved into the center of an urban area, and are trying to turn it into an extension of Barrington.

In the mind of these advocates, Providence's nightlife has become the perfect villain -- worthy of blame for everything from threatening the health of young people to impeding a lessening of congestion in the suburbs. Lest we forget, these proponents remind us that those under 21 "have less personal control" and that "being part of the `scene' is an inducement to substance abuse." Such hoary clichés might have come straight from Reefer Madness or warnings about the dangers of jazz. Young people may represent an appealing scapegoat for those who have outgrown nightlife, but the vast majority of club patrons under 21 are law-abiding citizens.

The nightclub-licensing bill isn't an isolated issue. The threat to the historic mill buildings of Eagle Square, where some would prefer to see a sterile suburban-style strip mall, shows how Providence is increasingly being challenged by its success. The under-21 issue is another test case of whether the city, and by extension the rest of the state, will deal with growing pains in a progressive or reactionary way.

Representative Elaine Coderre (D-Pawtucket), chair of the House Special Legislation Committee, who says she remains undecided on the nightclub-licensing bill, expresses a sound general philosophy: "I think the case has to be made that there is no other solution than legislation. That should really be the last resort."

What do you think? Send a letter to letters[a]phx.com. And contact your legislators:

Elaine Coderre, Chair
Home: (401) 726-1190
Work: (401) 728-8490
rep-ecoderre@rilin.state.ri.us
18 Angel St.
Pawtucket, RI 02860
Pawtucket, Democrat

John D. DeSimone
Home: (401) 351-7373
Work: (401) 454-1400
rep-desimone@rilin.state.ri.us
18 Ralston St.
Providence, RI 02904
Providence, N. Providence, Dem.

Michael Pisaturo
Home: (401) 946-1905
rep-pisaturo@rilin.state.ri.us
6 Winthrop St.
Cranston, RI 02910
Cranston, Democrat

David Iwuc, Vice-Chair
Home: (401) 333-5514
rep-iwuc@rilin.state.ri.us
179 Little Pond County Rd.
Cumberland, RI 02864
Cumberland, Democrat

Suzanne Henseler
Home: (401) 884-6893
Work: (401) 222-6595
rep-henseler@rilin.state.ri.us
210 Edmond Dr.
North Kingston, RI 02852
North Kingston, Democrat

Robert Watson
Home: (401) 885-6688
Work: (401) 274-3770
rep-watson@rilin.state.ri.us
East Greenwich, RI 02818
East Greenwich, Warwick, GOP

Joseph Moran
Home: (401) 726-1150
Work: (401) 727-7411
rep-moran@rilin.state.ri.us
225 Shawmut Ave
Central Falls, RI 02863
Central Falls, Cumberland, Dem.

Charles Levesque
Home: (401) 683-9194
Work: (401) 847-2510
rep-clevesque@rilin.state.ri.us
47 Islington Ave
Portsmouth, RI 02871
Portsmouth, Bristol, Democrat

Anastasia Williams
Home: (401) 272-8135
Work: (401) 351-4300
rep-williams@rilin.state.ri.us
32 Hammond St.
Providence, RI
Providence, Democrat

Brock Bierman
Home: (401) 831-3232
Work: (401) 732-9800
rep-bierman@rilin.state.ri.us
151 Laten Knight Rd.
Cranston, RI 02921
Cranston, Republican

Gerard Martineau
Home: (401) 769-2177
Work: (401) 222-2447
rep-martineau@rilin.state.ri.us
72 Upland Rd.
Woonsocket, RI 02895
Woonsocket, Democrat

Thomas Winfield
Home: (401) 949-3356
Work: (401) 949-0180
rep-winfield@rilin.state.ri.us
2 Church St.
Smithfield, RI 02828
Smithfield, Lincoln, Democrat