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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Dr. Hunter S. Thompson  "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it." David Stanowski To find older articles; use Search or Site Map |
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Thursday 01 September 2005 I Fought The Law and the Law Won! Yesterday afternoon, I was informed that Boudreaux's on the Bayou has been effectively SHUT DOWN as a live music venue!! Operating on a 6-10 PM schedule, to conform with the existing noise ordinance, complaints from the neighbors were used by the Galveston Police Department to shut them down at 8:00 PM! They will ATTEMPT to have music this weekend, and on Lonestar Biker Weekend under special permits, but that's it. Then they are finished!! Similar tactics were used by the neighbors of The Waterman and then Lazy Oaks, to shut down outdoor live music at these venues. The disturbing thing about these actions, by the police, is the fact that the venue owners had the legal right to offer live music until 10:00 PM, but were illegally shut down due to complaints. The owner's rights made no difference, and neither did the rights of their customers and patrons who wished to enjoy the music being offered! What kind of people are making these complaints? People with no fun in their lives, as described in these pages in an earlier article. They're not having any fun, so they don't want anyone else to enjoy themselves, either! The battle over the right to offer outdoor live music on The Island, highlights the fact that some people are getting preferential treatment by the police! And those people are not the members of the local music community; both fans and musicians!! Do you care whether they shut down all of the outdoor music on The Island? If not, indoor music venues may start to get additional pressure from people to shut down or turn it down, too; especially downtown!! Is there anything that we can do about it? Yes, of course! The first step would be to contact Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, and members of the City Council and complain to them that WE are the victims of selective law enforcement by the Galveston Police Department!I just discovered that the Mayor's phone number and email address are NOT listed in the phone book or on the City's web page; so obviously, she does NOT really want to hear from you, but I finally tracked them down: 797-3510 and LydaAnnThomas@aol.com!! You can also contact your City Council Members, if you can find a phone number or email address somewhere. Even if you don't live in Galveston; if you patronize or play in our local clubs, you should contact the Mayor to tell her how you feel about this issue! Of course, the other thing that could be done is for some venue owner, or a group of venue owners, to sue the City, in Federal Court, under the 5th Amendment "Takings Clause", using the argument that selective illegal police enforcement is lowering the value of their property. That would be an interesting move! Any Comments? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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