Age is not the issue; binge drinking is

By Leah Cohen

Iowa City citizens will vote again on Nov. 2 on whether to repeal the 21-only bar ordinance. Three years ago, voters decided to keep 19, yet six council members decided to overturn democracy and put us through this again.

So here we are, listening to the same endless rhetoric on this issue, with our councilors, newspaper and university vilifying our great downtown. What exactly has the council done on this since its vote for 21 in March? Unfortunately, nothing! What has the University of Iowa done to help these neighbors or displaced students since this ordinance? Unfortunately, nothing!

After a death at a fraternity in 1994, the UI decided to go dry in fraternities. That is where most parties are held in age-21 college communities. The students were displaced then and started to come downtown. Hence, the influx to bars in the past 12 years. Now we say we do not want them downtown. Where do you think they will go?

There has been no further conversation on the real problem: excessive and binge drinking. The state Alcoholic Beverages Division recently presented statistics that show Iowa City No. 6 in consumption for Iowa. Ames ranked second. Ames is already a 21 town and still ranks No. 2? Going 21 is not the magic wand to solve our problem of excess drinking.

The 21 ordinance created another serious problem: pushing our college youth out of the downtown and into neighborhoods, where high-school aged students are granted easy access.

As the owner of Bo-James, a 21-only establishment before the ordinance, the ordinance fortunately has had little impact on my business. However, I do notice that the 17,000 students at the UI and Kirkwood Community College who are ages 19 and 20 are dramatically decreasing their shopping, eating and bringing their families to our community. The economic impact on many businesses is devastating to witness. And chaos has overtaken our neighborhoods.

I have heard from many students who can no longer study or sleep in their apartments because of the dramatic increase of house parties. We do not have enough police officers to cover all of the problem areas.

I encourage all citizens who are unaware or skeptical about how dangerous the neighborhoods have become to visit the east and northside neighborhoods on any Thursday/Friday/Saturday night. I have witnessed thousands of youths wandering down dark neighborhood streets with access to unmonitored house parties. With the 21 ordinance, these youths are moving away from more monitored environments and being forced into more hazardous environments in order to socialize.

This is not just about access to alcohol or binge drinking. If that were the case, our conversations would be continuing. If a few bars are causing problems, close them down. Why should the entire community be judged by a few?

I will be voting “yes” to let this council members know we love our downtown and expect more time, energy and imagination out of them to take care of these problems. I encourage citizens to simply listen to both sides of the issue as you prepare to vote.

There is a reason Iowa City is continually voted “the best.” I ask you to vote “yes” to keep downtown a diverse, thriving community for us all to enjoy.

Leah Cohen, owner of Bo-James for 28 years, is co-chair of the Iowa City Safety Committee that wants to repeal the 21-only ordinance. She serves on the Partnership for Alcohol Safety Committee through the University of Iowa and was chair of the Alcohol Advisory Board for four years. Comments: timo5555@aol.com