Matt Brennan m_brennan20@hotmail.com
Student activist Rob Taylor ate a burrito on the Strip at 2:15 on a Sunday morning last month. Moments later, the police cuffed him and brought him down to the station. The Daily Egyptian reported that a Carbondale police officer approached and arrested Taylor for blocking pedestrian traffic under the encroachment ordinance, which allows the police to force citizens to keep moving while on the Strip.
It seemed a little peculiar that he was hauled on an early Sunday morning for blocking pedestrians. Here is a series of FICTIONAL interviews with a restaurant owner, a bar owner and a police officer about the Sunday attendance on the Strip and Carbondale's controversial encroachment ordinance.
The purpose of these interviews is to draw attention to encroachment and our never-ending quest to put a halo on the head of SIUC. First, the restaurant owner:
How much business do you get on a typical Sunday night?
"I'd say we make between $50 and $1,000 on a Sunday," the restaurant owner said.
What is your opinion of the encroachment ordinance?
"Until I bought this establishment in Carbondale, I thought that encroachment was just a football term. Now I realized that it means that the police have the right to chase your patrons away."
Was Rob Taylor eating your food when he was arrested?
"No, but I hate to see anyone arrested on the Strip, especially for eating. It's bad for business."
The bar owner attested to similar business patterns on a Sunday evening.
"We sold more beer last Sunday night than we have the last three St. Patrick's Day's combined," he said.
Could I get your opinion on the encroachment ordinance?
"I think it's totally uncalled for, and it's bad for business. What student is going to want to drink in our establishment if he or she cannot wait for a friend or socialize in public afterwards without being hassled by the police?"
Last, I talked to a police officer. He attested to the high arrest rate on Sunday nights and why the police enforce this encroachment law.
What day of the week are the most students on the Strip?
"Oh, by far Sunday. Those students run around like heathens."
Sundays are worse than Friday and Saturday?
"By far, no comparison."
Why have you guys been enforcing encroachment so tightly, especially with cases like Rob Taylor's?
"Well, the Strip businesses came to us after Halloween and said that we needed to do more to protect them. So, we figured we'd just arrest anyone out there not moving. The encroachment ordinance was on the books before then; we just didn't enforce it. This gave us the perfect opportunity."
So you just arrest anyone on the Strip not moving their feet? "Yep. Fewer people, fewer problems."
Have you considered dropping this ordinance?
"And go back to hanging out at the doughnut shop?"
And to think, with all that Sunday partying, the administration still wonders why we have an image problem. Dry out the campus, raise tuition and comb the Strip for people standing. We have to get to the heart of the image problem somehow. Pretty soon we'll look angelic in someone's eyes. Or fascist.
The Way I See It appears every other Friday. Matt is a senior in journalism. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
