Last weekend there was a series of shootings downtown. Much of the problem is summed up by the comments of one of the men shot: “It’s part of the bargain,” said bouncer Noel “Jaws” Chavez. Well, the bargain is now costing far too much.
Now, please don’t all the San Jose and downtown bashers pile on. This is a tragic situation made worse by the laissez-faire attitude of some who should know better. Our downtown has come light years from the dangerous, ravaged seventies where prostitution, crime, and depression were endemic—but there are miles still to go. These clubs do not always provide harmless recreation for our young people, but a clear, attractive and dangerous nuisance for those who live and work downtown. They attract troublemakers and violence from all over the region.
Now if we have deteriorated so far in our ballyhooed claim to be the “safest big city” in America, then there is much awry in our community. For once this mess cannot fully be blamed on City Hall.
This situation is scandalous; more than anything a serious threat to the average San Jose resident’s tranquility and safety. And if you add panic to fear, all these shootings happened at closing time at a heavily policed club under the overworked eyes of our police department. It was in this same location that a friend of mine, Officer Rocky Bridges, was shot 25 years ago, and its history has been a bloody one since then. Do we learn nothing here? If there can be that type of violent, cavalier action in front of armed and authorized police officers, then what chance does the best trained security personnel have – or a citizen walking the street.
Also, now called into question is the long-standing policy, much criticized by certain downtown “entertainment” proponents, to hector the police over the use of aggressive tactics to curb such problems and curry favor with the burgeoning nightclub proprietors cabal. By being front men for these places—many of them oases of drink, drugs and violence—they are part of the problem. And let me make it clear, it is not the legitimate owners of restaurants, bars, and the like that I call into question, but the quick-buck, change-the marquee-every-year con men, who would book Dr. Kevorkian for a snuff show if it sold drinks and would pay a huge cover. They permit a place and then often leave town.
It is time for the Downtown Association to act; it is time for the police department to get the support they deserve. It is time to make downtown a neighborhood where women can walk safely, even at 2 a.m; a place where businesses can prosper and families can live tranquilly. It is time for a wakeup call to build the type of city the people deserve but so far have not received. It is time to awake from this harmful slumber.
Yes, the City Council and the Downtown Association must take a stand and the PD must decide what it’s closen method of policing is to be. We are facing the equivalent of a “human broken window” theory where the ability of problem people and trouble makers to get away w. bad behavior can create an environment where no small business person or visitor or home owner feels safe.
TMcE
Bar Owner says it very well.
One reason that I avoid downtown San Jose nightlife, is I don’t like being herded around by hostile cops when I’m patronizing legitimate businesses. While I understand and support the need for a police presence downtown, the tactics send a signal that says “We don’t want your business. In fact, we think you are a potential troublemaker.” My response: “Fine, I will take my business elsewhere.”
In Los Gatos the police use a different approach. They focus on the troublemakers and leave everyone else alone. It seems to work. There are no gang bangers on the streets, no cruisers. Fights and ugly incidents are rare and women seem to feel safe being out at night. The clubs, bars and restaurants are busy most nights, especially on weekends.
If San Jose seriously wants to improve it’s nightlife downtown, it needs to take an honest look at the current tactics of it’s police and ask the question: “Is it working?”
The police are not the problem, Ernesto.
The problem is the gangbanging, kicker bass car stereo, hydraulic-equipped car riders who infest Santa Clara street many evenings, and the politcically correct crowd who won’t let the the police do their work. What used to be called good experienced police work is now vilified by the media tyopes as objectionable profiling.
No-one in a business suit or dockers and a golf shirt took down The World Trade Center. So, when a cop sees a guy with a tattooed neck or a couple of tattooed teardrops, he doesn’t need to have a PhD in criminology to know he’s dealing with a gangbanger. Profiling works because it concentrates on known traits and visual signs. It is not a bad thing. It’s better to concentrate on the problem people than engage in some ridiculous “random selection” of whom you stop to identify and question, and politely tell to move on out of downtown.
For several years the police were left to wait until the post-Cinco de Mayo or post-Mardis Gras riots started before they moved in. By then it was WAY too late. The cops know who the troublemakers are for the most part. They need to be allowed to do their jobs.
But since even gangbangers have “rights” we get all tangled up in waiting for tragedy to happen before we REact. We need to allow the police to be PROactive in ridding downtown—and everywhere, actually—of these scumbags.
We’ve used an ordinance in the past in San Hozay to identify gangmembers and get injunctions against their assembly in residential neighborhoods. It withstood a Constitutional challenge. Dowtown needs a cleaning out the same way.
Until we stop giving these creeps the benefit of the doubt (which exists in the liberal establishment’s mind, but neither mine nor most cops’ minds, I venture to say) we’re stuck being victimized by the a**holes who take over much of downtown three or four evenings a week.
That’s bad for business, and it makes all the people who would like to party responsibly downtown, but go elsewhere instead, the victims of the scumbags and those who champion them.
I say extend the night club hours to 3am, let people sober up a little before throwing them out and letting them to fight each other. I went to a SJ bar recently and felt welcomed in the early night…when I got out the night was scary, SJPD yelling and herding out everyone. I think cops will have an easier time dealing with party goers if dispersed at different times of the night, think about it? hundreds of drunken fools at once or hundreds spread out after 1:30 (last call) til 3am. Just a thought.
Tom, isn’t the “quick buck” venue you refer to on the same block that’s scheduled to get a high rise condo complex? If it’s not going to get pushed over for that project, those nice new condos are going to be a very tough sell.
Even if I’m wrong about condos going up on that block, the place still needs to be knocked down as it is nothing more than an attractive nuisance. Easier said than done as there are other factors to consider, but it strikes me that if the powers that be wanted to, some other type of pressure could be applied (police presence isn’t working) to try and effect change regarding the type of “entertainment” that little black box has been offering up.
I’ve seen it happen in Los Gatos, so why not downtown SJ?
Tom,
Another great discussion topics about a continuing challenging economic development and social issue that we as a community need to solve if downtown is to achieve it’s potential as a great regional destination.
Would it be possible to over time restrict club activites to 1-2 district areas with more restrict conditional use rules and public safety / traffic guidelines as is done in other cities as one of the interim steps rather than have the problems all over downtown that make it unattractive to many people who might visit downtown ?
I agree that to revitalize downtown as a routine regional entertainment, resturant and eventually retail destination as well as downtown neighborhood resident / business district we need to improve transit / parking, make it attractive and comfortable for all families , singeles and potential downtown residents to visit or live in or it will not work for many people and San Jose
Hey Tom and Company,
I say we go to the Ambassadore Lounge tonight to discuss this topic. I hear they are serving “Shots” tonight.
Downtown San Jose is on the verge of becoming a true cosmopolitan city with the introduction of high-rise living and the continued growth of downtown businesses. To allow several small night clubs and their clientele along with the cruiser scene destroy the fabric of our downtown would be a sin!
San Jose and in particular downtown San Jose is the cultural center of this valley and is home to: The Repertory Theatre, The Symphony, Opera, Children’s Musical Theatre, Discovery Museum, Tech Museum of Innovation, Museum of Modern Art, MLK Library, The Arena, and numerous other theatre groups and entertainment venues. In addition, we are host to The San Jose Grand Prix, Tapestry and Talent, San Jose Jazz Festival (largest free Jazz fest in the U.S.) Music in the Park, Christmas in the Park and numerous other events that have helped carve our City.
If the clubs are a nuisance, prosecute them accordingly. If you have cruisers playing loud music and yelling out of their cars pull them over and cite them. We have no room for those who would take away from our downtown experience and spoil it for the greater citizenry.
Downtown Dave
I hate to say “I told you so”, but downtown is a ghetto disaster plaqued with roving gangs terrorizing, shooting people. Nothing changed in the last 26 years, except it’s on a much bigger scale. During the daytime, downtown is dead, but during the nights, it becomes very dangerous. I disagree with you, Mr. McEnery, that things have not improved over the years. In fact, we just got somebody killed in the SOFA district just recently from stabbings. People are constantly harrassed and beaten regularly in downtown. That’s pathetic. What a failure in the revitalization effort of downtown! San Jose is big, unsafe suburban city-no longer the safest city in the U.S.. San Francisco is the real capital of Silicon Valley and very cosmopolitan. If you guys want a real urban experience and party at big city nightclubs without fear and being victimized, head to SF. The clubs there stay open until 4am. San Francisco is real heck of an entertainment center while San Jose is a sleepy suburb that’s not necessarily safe. Sorry!
I don’t have any tattoos, not even a single teardrop. I sometimes wear Dockers and the jams coming out of my car are more likely to be Vivaldi rather than the thump-thump of hip hop with mega bass. My idea of nightlife in San Jose involves Dinner at Eulipia followed by a visit to the California Theater or Camera Cinemas.
Yet there have been several times in the past few years when my visits to downtown San Jose have ended in encounters with police clearing the streets of anyone and everyone. That includes me and my Dockers.
If someone is committing a crime or causing a disturbance police should take immediate action. I have no problem with police removing troublemakers and I agree that it should be done before problems escalate.
The problem with the SJPD’s approach is the full court press that assumes everyone is a troublemaker and must be herded off in a massive show of force.
Like I said before, these days I tend to take my Dockers, and my dollars, elsewhere.
The neighborhood associations are working with San Jose Planning to study the issues and recommend potential conditional use permit or other restrictions to address continuing problems with convenience stores and other off site liquor sales and some of the downtown clubs sound like they have the same issues
California ABC in the opinion of many community and neighborhood leaders do not adequately inspect, enforce existing regulations or take actions against repeat liquor license holders while California state laws prohibits local cities taking many restrictive actions exept code enforcement. illegal activities or some conditional use actions.
San Jose apparently does not have the budget to adequately do much more than they are currently doing for both police and code enforcement actions so we need to come up with a new way to regulate liquor license holders and finance enforcement actions to improve our community
We may want to combine together to address all the liquor license problems
PS Interesting – Glass half empty / half full discussion by peoplee who see downtown from very different perspectives –
My personal opinion is that downtown is definately better than years ago but need more improvements that will come from community groups working together and more private investment.
We must move to stop the cruisers that is first. Now the property owners need to rent there buildings but they need to be more interested in what the operators or lessee or going to do. I just odn’t understand, as someone said, that if there are that many problems the liquor license should be pulled by the ABC.
I’m just curious as to where Smurf lives and why he wastes alot of his time blogging on a city that he can’t despises.. No disrespect intended Smurf… :O)
What do the business owners gain from renting to these low life sleazy nightclubs? A quick buck? But they must change names so many times that how can it really help the building owner.
Ernesto, I am sorry if your experiences are bad with the police, but I feel that they need to shut down the streets. The cruisers and nightclub crowd are ruining a great city for the rest of us. I think San jose needs to be a place with bars/restaurants, but certain clubs get the reputation of being gang clubs.
I agree – Smurf, we love that you are here, but why do you live here if you see no redeeming qualities in this city?
When did the site’s name change to “FriscoInside.com?” Yeah, that’s right, I called it “Frisco.” That city became “cosmopolitan” through dumb luck anyway – Commodore Sloat could have very well sailed down the bay into Alviso, but he was too lazy, methinks.
I read the articles about tactics employed by SJPD (Mardi Gras, Jeff Garcia, etc.) and I can’t help but feel that our police resources may be stretched thin or not used to its full potential, creating an uncomfortable and potentially volatile environment. On a recent trip home, my cousin and I visited our old high school and on the way home, it took us 45 minutes to travel from SJ Arena to Almaden Blvd (by Hotel DeAnza). While waiting, we saw what a spectacle Sta. Clara street has become – kids walking on the street alongside their cars with thumping stereos, fights next to the water company building, and I even saw a ‘95 Buick Regal with hydraulics. You know what I didn’t see? One damn cop.
I fully support the police and everything they do to uphold our rightful title of “Safest Big City in America,” but it might be better to strategically sit in cruisers and pick off the alkies, rather than form a phalanx of officers whose presence may enrage large groups of drunks, which may touch off something fierce. But who knows, I’m just one man raised in SJ, and I barely got my bachelor’s degree.
Eulipia’s really good, by the way. VERY cosmopolitan.
So when do the cops start ticketing cruisers?
Tom,
Great post on a very serious subject. There are way to many moving parts in this issue.
A big reason for so many clubs that basically share the same bloated ghetto gang banger crowd has a lot to do with current policing of downtown. It’s basically a vicious circle.
The police let the gang members and cruisers run all over downtown. Their only way to deal with them is to pile police on top of police all over downtown and try and “keep the peace” Nothing is done to get rid of the gang members and cruisers .
At the same time the police blame all visitors to downtown for the problems. So they treat everyone like criminals. Basically, if the police can’t (per our mayor) single out the gang members and cruisers; they will blame everyone. This leads to a downtown full of police cars and the appearance of a bunch of ghetto low lifes.
This leads to nice many people simply staying away from downtown. We end up getting stuck marketing to people who don’t mind the agressive police and or gang members.
Which leads to most money spending main stream type customers spending their money in Santana Row and Los Gatos; instead of downtown.
Then the businesses downtown need revenue; so who do they sell to? The gang members / ghetto crowd.
So where do we start to fix this? Can you see all the moving parts?
I’ve never been corraled by the cops in downtown, but then again, I don’t hang out in San Jose till 2am in the morning.
By the way, I totally agree with JohnMichael, I couldn’t have said it any better..
Ticket the Cruisers.
Block off Santa Clara Street
Close the Nightclubs.
Three solutions to the problem.
Forget about protests about racial profiling. All this PC crap is the problem!
Gil,
Some key differences between Santana Row and Downtown are the following:
In Santana Row you don’t get harrassed by Police as you drive into it, get out of your car, and when you leave. In downtown you get harrassed and treated like a criminal for visiting downtown businesses.
Santana Row doesn’t allow the Gang bangers and wanabee gang bangers run up and down the street harassing people. They kick them out!
The police allow cars to drive back and forth on stevens creek all day and night long.
If the police were to treat Santana Row the same way they treat downtown; Santana Row would also fill up with you gang banger low life friends!
Let’s move Cinco de Mayo to Santana Row!
WOW! What hostility! Are we upset because there are people down town that don’t meet with our plans for the future?
Let me remind those that can’t remember what they had for breakfast, that the redevelopment pushed for years to instill the bar nite scene in down town.
Most recently, there has been a big push to get the party going downtown by our present administration.
. Jeff Garcia at Mission Ale house led the drill. Are all these guys with tatooed tear drops 49er Fans. Could they even afford the price of a game ticket.
The Police are there because there are so many young working people with money willing to spend their dough on nite life. With the way this World and City is going, perhaps we should all join in the denial, Excuse me is this bar stool taken?
You build it and they will come. Well you built it and they did come. Don’t try and cover the real issue with throwing a few gang banger into the fire.
Santana Row works because you drive to it and you leave your car with no crusing lanes. They called it Row because that’s what it is.
The best Sports Bar was at the Pavlilion. Club Miami draws a lot of hispanics into the core, as do the other dance clubs. Most Hispanics get their Cardio by dancing not jogging or hiking. The Vatos come just like the rest of us. To see the action.
So get over it! You want a down town like Santana Row. Build one!
I just got a great idea, open the Mexican Heritage Plaza every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another Palomar Gardens in the making. Call it East Santana Row. One could have Jumping car contests and tatoo judging. No Docker or Golf shirts allowed, Pendejo!
That would leave all the action down town for the guys with the dough and Dockers. And the Police could spend more time at what they do best. Police the entire city!
Oh one last thing, Move all the ethnic celebrations to the Fair Grounds. What do you think?
Down town is no place for beer busts or Racing! What did that race lose, 7Mill?
I recommend every body take a nap and well discuss this in the morning!
JMO, call the Mayor in the morning and get all these guys that got you all stired up into his Role Model Program. While your at it see if any of the city concil want to participate as well. I’ll donate a few golf shirts and I’m sure we can get Dockers donated from the County!
The Village Black Smith
Girlfrothenet, I live between the Valleyfair area and downtown SJ, close to San Carlos St. if you’re still wondering. By the way, I worry about your safety when you head to downtown SJ. It’s a disaster and a war-zone! you be careful when you go there, but I recommend LG where the girl’s in the box for entertainment or Santana Row. It’s relative fun and safe over there.
Here’s a solution for downtown. The city should make “Gang Bangers in a Box” we could market this novalty item at Hip Hop concerts throughout the USA. Might help pay for our ballpark!
Just wait until we have people loitering at the gas stations while their friends pick up beer and then drive downtown. Didn’t they pass that alcohol at gas stations thing? Or am I out of the loop?
I keep hearing all these complaints about people acting crazy out in the streets. People treat you the way you get treated. If the SJPD treats everyone like criminals, guess what? With alcohol in them and a little yelling with a dash of harrassment…you will get that that guy in the dork uniform (golf shirt, dockers, to a bar/club) turn into a gangmember. blame the SJPD crownd control tactics.
ever disturb an ant hill? see what happens? duh!
Thanks smurf, but I’m not a party girl. I don’t go downtown San Jose to Party till the weee hours of the morning.. I usually go for dinner, festivals, muisic in the park, christmas in the park, theatre and then I’m outa there by at least 10 pm. I was told once that there are only two kinds of people downtown after 12am. The perpitrators and the victims. I’ve always adhered to that advise.
Seems like alot of the people that are causing trouble are comming from outa town. While walking downtown, I’ve been noticing alot of shady looking gangster type people. I’ve heard through the grapevine that alot of them are comming from Oakland and Richmond to sell drugs and prostitute because they can make good money here. I’m very concerned. I think to myself “territory wars”. Is this the future of downtown as well?
Girlfromthenet, just simply avoid downtown because there’s a gang warfare going on downtown. Be safe!
Hey Smurf,
Do you work for Santana Row? Is that why you bash downtown?
Downtown is just as safe as anywhere else in the city. It won’t take much to get the gang element out. Changes in police procedures can and will take care of it.
And by the way, for the 1 or 2 negative clubs owners there are over 30 good bar and club owners and a number of great restuarants. In in my opinion, most of the restaurants downtown are equal to the quality of Santana Row’s Restaurants!
Village Idiot,
Did you get that name because you hang down town? I have just learned that there were twenty shot fired down town and In the presence of SJPD. Three individules were wounded. They were rival gangs from Oakland. Oakland? Who knows!
Shut it down at 12 midnight, bars, resturants, the works. Close off the downtown to traffic at 10 pm. Who eats at 1 am anyway!
You know when to get the hell out a Dodge, when the door man frisks you and your date and sticks his hand up your cuchis looking for armaments, weapons of mass distruction.
The Gonzo/Guerra era. Just another day in paradise. Lawless in Sanjosopolis. Whoopeee! What ever happened to The Gonzo Role Model Program? What ever happened to the Role Model? Hell, What happened, period!
The Village Black Smith
So what’s the deal. Nightlife or not. You present the case for the less than human gang bangers and vatos like they own downtown. Then you say downtown should close at 12am.
Don’t you know that all your vato friends don’t get off work at 7 11, costco and the local Jiffy Lube until 11pm? How will they be able to destroy downtown for the rest of us each night?
J.Walker, no, I don’t work at Santana Row. Santana Row just simply screwed up downtown! I’m only speaking the truth. I’ve been to all the major cities in the country, and downtown SJ is the worst; however, I wish it wasn’t the case. I am so disappointed with the previous and present leadership of this sick city with no downtown. This city has no soul! I’d rather be in Baghdad than San Jose because there’s a downtown. You see, there is downtown in a third world city. San Jose doesn’t embrace one. It’s one of only few cities in the world that doesn’t. I don’t entirely blame it on the leaders but the crummy people of SJ. They are the most self-absorbed people you’ll ever come across and the most boring/unsavvy.
Hey Smurf,
No problem. I agree with your assessment of the leadership and your frustration with how downtown is run. Downtown has potential and could be an incredible asset. It’s a shame that our leadership has no respect for downtown or its potential.
By the way, bagdad has less police on the street than downtown San Jose. And that is truely sad.
That’s what puzzles me Smurf, if you hate it here so much, and the people are so terrible why do you continue to live here?
J.Walker #36:
If Baghdad truly has fewer police on the street than downtown S-Jay—which I gravely doubt—it’s only becasue they’re all getting blown up by the terrorists, or what the journalistas incorrectly call “the insurgents”.
Most bloggers here want the vatos, gangbangers, etc. cleared away. But in this PC area, the ACLU would jump all over this as “profiling”, as if that is a bad thing. Profiling is the current PC name for what I call good police work—pick out the obvious troublemakers first, BEFORE they cause trouble and hustle ‘em outta Dodge.
If Downtown SJ is getting more trouble makers roaming the street selling drugs and prostituting…why not explore the same option the mayor of SF is proposeing and have cameras rolling to reduce crime in the area.
George # 37:
Your blog re cameras reminded me of a tactic that I believe Joe McNamara initiated in what is now caled SoFA in San Hozay in the late 70’s. There was a HUGE hooker problem—hookers of all genders and transgenders—cruising between San Carlos and Williams, Fourth and First Streets. Instead of deploying undercover girls/guys to pose as hookers/johns, he just put a lot of “uniforms” on the streets to follow the hookers. Result: no “John” would approach them, and so they made no money. So, they just stopped coming back. COOL!!!
Amazingly, there were no rpoblems with the ACLU either.
SO, why don’t we just deploy officers to closely follow the tattooed neck crowd, the hydraulic Chevy crowd, etc—you get my drift—wherever they go downtown and just harrass the s**t outta them until they go somewhere else? Not the best solution—foisting them upon others—but better than nada.
So, when are we as a nation going to give up the notion that troublemakers somehow have a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to make trouble?
“Girlfromthenet” makes a whole lotta sense.
JMO #38
I’m sure that these rowdies have one rap on top of another rap, eg, parole violations, misdemeanors, etc. So instead of just following them around, serve them their warrants the minute they step into San Jose. No sooner will they get the hint that there is no welcome mat for them here.
It is not so reassuring that this blog site has all the answers. Directed at the Quentin, Pelican Bay Grads. Reminds me of the Minute Men. A group of pissed off old farts reliving the wars of choice. Some body check their military records. Most of the minute Men I’ve seen have all their limbs. What could they be protecting, their Guilt and Denial. Think about it bloggers. This issue is about hate and resolution by force. Where’s Frank Taylor when we need him.
I happen to know that the real solutions are not on this site but quite close to the happenings. Perhaps on the corner of 4th and Santa Clara St.
What ever happened to Government Order and the right of free assembleage.
The spreading of hate and selection based on a tattoo and redesign of autos, leaves me with the fear that the solution would be worst then the problem.
This blog initiated by Tom Mc. has set into motion an extensive research program, into the causes and solutions that those that have blogged this site have brought to the surface.
This would be a great weekly edition , of Life in the Valley of Hearts Delights, for any progressive news paper. It truly appears that those that would have the most profound effect are not listening to all of you that have it all figured out!
The Village Black Smith
I think the reason for cameras instead of more uniforms would probably be cost. On the long run, the camera is cheaper. The uniforms can only catch what they happen to catch, the cameras dont ever stop recording. Uniforms can see them on cameras and bust them while crime is in progress. Besides I feel more comfortable not seeing cops on every street corner with thier patrol lights going off constantly. Limit the number of cops and have them go after real crime while they see it happening. Less cops on the street, less thugs on the street, decrease in crime…everyone is happy!
JohnMichael
HmmMmm, not sure if that was meant to be a compliment or not.
Girlfromthenet #41: Yeah, it was definitely meant as a compliment. Sorry I wasn’t clear.
Gil #42: Huh???
You’ll have to expalin that one to me in the gym manana.
JohnMichael, Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate it..:O)