Changing Community Behind NYPD's Nightlife Crackdown

2011 has been a bad year for Lower East Side bar owners, with venues like Gallery Bar and Mason Dixon being shut down by the NYPD for underage drinking and other associated crimes against humanity. But did the NYPD and its anti-bar Captain David Miller cross a line with the recent closure of the beloved Max Fish? Neighborhood residents and members of the 7th Precinct Community Council spoke out last night against such things as the NYPD's recent use of horse mounted police. Council President Donald West told Grub Street that there wasn't enough serious crime in the area to warrant the tactics.

But 7th Precinct deputy inspector Nancy Barry says a changing community (ie: more families) is behind the new policies, and that the NYPD simply won't tolerate underage drinking. If that is the cause, the NYPD could probably shut down every bar in the East Village and LES if it felt like it. And to say that the neighborhood is changing probably means you never stepped foot in the area any time during the last decade. Meanwhile, Max Fish remains closed as it tries to negotiate a settlement with the NYPD over the numerous charges that they used to shut the bar down over the weekend.
· NYPD Explains LES Crackdown: ‘The Community Is Changing’ [GS]
· NYPD Explains Recent Crackdown on LES Nightlife [~ENY~]
· Nightlife Coverage [~ENY~]