Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. and the Alcohol License Review Committee met Madison's alcohol culture Thursday at the Concourse Hotel, 1 W. Dayton St., after area residents claimed they were uncomfortable with the surrounding bar culture.
CNI discussed ways to manage alcohol consumption in the Capitol Square area, engaging business owners, University officials and police.
Michael Bridgeman, program chair of CMI, maintained the alcohol culture makes Madison a rich and interesting place to live. However, he noted there is a downside.
'Over-consumption in particular can lead to noise, vandalism and in some cases, serious crime,' he said.
Central district Police Captain Mary Schauf said the density of bars in the State Street and Capitol Square areas put a strain on enforcement.
'Downtown taverns have capacity to serve more than 12,000 patrons,' she said. 'That's more than these little towns around us have for populations.'
Schauf cited statistics showing alcohol license density as increasingly correlated to battery, and fights in the King Street and UW-Madison areas.
CNI member Fred Mohs held bars and landlords responsible for the problems. He said there should be increased penalties for those negligent when it comes to house parties and drink specials.
'If they did their job like they're supposed to, we wouldn't have problems,' he said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said some establishments complied with city requests to control disturbances in the neighborhood, and the ALRC strictly monitored licensing requests. He said applicants usually comply with ALRC's standards.
Kami Eshraghi, co-owner of the Kimia Lounge, 14 W. Mifflin St., takes pride in maintaining a secure atmosphere at his club. He warned CNI about 'painting too broad a picture' and lumping all bars together. He said problems were too often blamed on hip-hop culture and became racially tinged.
'We can't take away from the colorful aspects of our neighborhood that make it so great,' he said.
Bert Stitt, development chair at CNI, agreed with Eshraghi that critics should avoid stereotypes.
'We can have hip hop, students and a pleasant community,' he said. 'I drink. I like to drink. But that's no excuse for bad behavior.'
