NY Daily News Editorial
Editorial from today's (04.03.03) Daily News:
"Crack-pot ruling
How many sales of illegal pills does it take to turn a nightclub into a public nuisance? To one Manhattan Supreme Court justice, it apparently doesn't matter. She has ordered two shuttered drug dens reopened, saying club owners aren't responsible for their patrons' behavior. Talk about justice being blind - to reality.
The West Side clubs, Sound Factory and Exit, were closed by cops for good reason. A 22-month investigation turned up enough unfettered drug sales to tag them as public nuisances. Justice Emily Jane Goodman, however, called the probe a "less-than-productive" effort, despite the fact that undercover cops had no difficulty buying Ecstasy every night they were on duty from promoters and guards working at the clubs.
What's the honorable judge smokin'? And what would have gotten the club owners into trouble? A vending machine offering pills? As it was, Ecstasy hawkers said "E" every time the lights flashed on Exit's dance floor.
No wonder Goodman's decision shocked the mother of a Westchester man who died of a brain hemorrhage in August after he took Ecstasy purchased at the Sound Factory. "I can't believe these places are allowed to operate this way," she said.
Neither can we. Club owners are plenty responsible for what goes on under their disco balls. And responsible club owners have staff who look out for illegal activity - underage drinking, drug sales and prostitution. The clubs' operating licenses - and reputations - depend on it. So does the well-being of their patrons.
Then there are the clubs whose success is based on another kind of reputation: that of the anything-goes drug scene. Goodman's downer of a decision gives unscrupulous nightlife moguls license to flout the law - and to make a buck as ambulances line up at their front doors."
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agenda:
[Dark Disco|Frozen Balearic|Gay Biker-House| Boogie-Trance|Heavy Electronica|Soft-Goth]
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