As I feared, Saturday's drunken revelry ended in tears and bloodshed. Unlike Councilman Kraus, though, I believe that there were plenty of police. There is a dangerous culture of drinking and driving prevalent throughout this city. If drinking and driving were not acceptable from a young age, then this problem would not have happened. Unfortunately, Mr Haniotakis had a clear history of drinking and driving and aggression. Less bars on Carson Street would not have changed the outcome Saturday night. Taking away Mr Haniotakis' license might have helped. Drinking and driving is not acceptable. There should be harsh penalties in place for those who do and plenty of alternatives for those who choose not to. I'll re-iterate my plea from Saturday - cut back on a few billy-club-shaking overtime cops in riot gear and instead, let's have some real leadership in Pittsburgh broker a deal with Port Authority that all buses after 10pm are free. And make sure there are actually buses running until after the bars close on Friday and Saturday nights. Re-institute the party shuttle down Carson Street. Teach kids in school that it is NOT okay to drink and drive. Teach kids to drink responsibly. While we're celebrating St Patrick's Day, why don't we splash some bloody ugly commercials on TV like in Ireland?
How do you pay for these things?
Ever hear of the drink tax?
Or maybe instead we can just add more police? I understand treating the immediate symptom, but this is getting ridiculous. Soon, we'll have more police than bar patrons on Carson Street. Let's treat the root of the problem by stopping drunk driving. Excessive binge drinking is next on the list.
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Of course, walking down Carson street, I'm floored at how little there is to do other than drink. South Side is a bit of a wasteland for the sober set...
I tend to judge a neighborhood by its diversity. If any type of business exceeds 15%-20% of the storefronts, that neighborhood is in trouble...
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