One man was killed, Victor Hugo Perez Zavala, 24, and several others were wounded in midtown, on J and 18th street. This was Sunday, Sep. 12, when multiple shots were fired in a crowd of people outside of one of midtown's bars, The Streets of London.
This unfortunate mob of people was just a small part of the 15,000 people that are brought to midtown the second Saturday of each month. Second Saturday was originally created to be an event for artists to showcase their work in galleries and to attract customers to the local businesses of the area. The "Art Walk" has been a staple of Sacramento's culture for years.
It took this shooting for the city to start asking the question; what has Second Saturday become? According to many Sacramento residents, the purpose of this art walk has been corrupted over the years. What was once a festivity to celebrate art and music, has over time become an opportunity to glorify boozing to your heart's content.
But, what is really to blame? Through reading the article written on the event, the general sentiment was that it was the ever-changing crowd that Second Saturday brings in that is causing all of the chaos. Running the risk of sounding completely politically-incorrect, it seems like the elephant in the room is the growing "young and ghetto"conglomerate in midtown.
If that really is the problem, then most people would say the solution is to bring in more law enforcement. Devoting our resources to doing things such as: Setting up checkpoints, disallowing open bottles and cans on the street, and breaking up large groups and fights. These things would help, that I have no doubt of. What I have doubts of is whether this would really stomp out the wildfire that spreads during Second Saturday.
The real problem lies in the design of the event. As the article itself explained, earlier then 11 p.m., there was no problems really worth speaking of. This is when Second Saturday is supposedly already over. Which means that after that, once all the party poopers have gone to bed, an unrelated but entirely intoxicated event begins. An event that involves an excess of alcohol, big egos clashing together and the inevitable aggressive behavior that follows. What do you expect to happen when you mix these things together into one big alcoholic concoction?
Second Saturday has spawned a completely different calamity, and it has had detrimental results. Obviously, bars and other businesses that stay open for the belligerent party-goers appreciate the profits. On the other hand, the victims of this shooting and the neighborhood are suffering due to Second Saturday's evil twin. With the vast amount of people that flock to midtown, from Sacramento or elsewhere, there is bound to be public safety issues.
Maybe it's time to give the city a break, and keep Second Saturday limited to its original intent, art and music. There is a time enough for getting smashed, save the partying for St. Patricks Day or New Years Eve. However, is the city willing to sacrifice all the extra business that generates from selling alcohol in order to the peace of our city intact?
When Kevin Johnson says that he wants to preserve Second Saturday, my question is, which Second Saturday is he referring to?
Clearly communicated point. However, bars will always be opened on a Saturday night. And there will always be people that abuse alcohol. I wonder if the shooter would have committed his crime with or without an "event" happening earlier in the day as well.
ReplyDeleteThe columnist does a nice job of wrapping up the issues, following through with arguments, and then putting a clever conclusion/ending on the piece.
ReplyDeleteBravo!
While it could use some tuneup in spots (Midtown should be capitalized, what article is the writer referencing?), overall, very smoothly done and very easy to read.
On to Phlagelblast.