SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Council is looking to close loopholes when it comes to after-hours alcohol consumption.
“Pop-up clubs or after-hours clubs have been showing up, and the council has been looking to address that by not allowing alcohol to be consumed, even if it’s not sold in a business after 2 a.m.,” explained Det. Michael Ruff with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
The council is calling it the Recurring Nuisance Properties and Reducing Alcohol Consumption ordinance, a proposal to prohibit alcohol consumption in common areas of commercial and non-residential properties between the hours of 2-6 a.m.
Police claim the issue is more than a nuisance; it’s a safety concern.
“We’ve seen a lot of these after-hours clubs that pop up; there has been violence around those, unfortunately," said Ruff. "You’re not having the control of having a liquor license where there’s laws about consumption and things like that. We’ve unfortunately seen shootings, stabbings, even people that were killed in these incidents."
The owner of the event production and community-focused entertainment organization After Party Nation in Salt Lake City shared how safety is their utmost priority.
"Places like this are secure, safe, licensed, nightlife areas, are the direction that we should be going,” said owner Chris Taylor.
Meanwhile, the cofounder of PlumHouse Social Club, which hosts gatherings for members, told FOX 13 News that they hire security and medical staff.
“We’ve complied with every single legal requirement, we’ve worked with city officials, we’ve worked with police in order to make this safe place a reality,” said David Ezekiel Brooks.
The locations don't want to have to close the doors on their community.
"PlumHouse has been a catalyst for that, for them to share ideas, debate, have conversations about what's going on in current affairs is incredibly valuable,” said Ezekiel Brooks.
The city council is expected to vote on the proposed measure next month.
"We all want everybody to come downtown, have a great time," said Ruff. "There’s lots of options, we just want to make sure everyone is safe, even if it’s 3 o'clock in the morning."
