Downtown Crime

 Several representatives from downtown organizations and businesses spoke to city council about the alcohol, drug use and homeless congregation on the east side of the town square. Tres Hombres has even had to reduce its hours because customers are worried about all the illicit activity taking place in the parking lot across from the bar and grill. Carbondale Police average one call to the parking lot per night.

Part of the problem is the ordinance allowing public consumption of alcohol in the downtown area. Councilman Loos says the ordinance was passed in expectations of creating a Carbondale version of Memphis'  Beale Street. Unfortunately the problem with that is that Carbondale no longer has a concentration of bars along Illinois Avenue. The plan was for patrons to go to one bar and then spend the evening bar hopping, without having to worry about carrying open containers from one bar to another. That was fine back in the 1990s, when patrons could move from Tres Hombres to The Cellar to PKs to Boobys to Hangar 9 to Stix to American Tap to Sidetracks to 611 Pizza to Gatsby's and back. 

Now, if my count is correct, there are Tres Hombres, The Cellar, PKs, Booby's, Hangar 9 and Trax. Hardly enough to create a steady flow of foot traffic from one location to another, much less justifying carrying an open beverage out on the street.