Dozens of supporters of Salt Lake City’s diverse after-hours party scene turned out to the City Council meeting Tuesday to oppose a draft ban on late-night alcohol consumption at non-residential premises.
In calls on social media, a few had billed the effort as a possible sit-in. But in the end, nightlife organizers dressed largely in black chose not to dominate the council’s yearly gathering held on the west side. They deferred instead to the hundreds of residents, victims of recent flooding, community boosters and others who had filled Sorenson Unity Center’s Black Box Theater and surrounding hallways to make their voices heard on other matters.
The event — with food trucks, heavy city outreach, art and dance displays by young residents — saw many attendees wearing “West Side, Best Side” tee-shirts. It also included honors for several longtime community mainstays, including the 70-year-old Rose Park Lions Club and former Salt Lake County Council member Jim Bradley.
City council member Victoria Petro later said the meeting had put west-side neighborliness on rich display.
Booze ban ‘threatens heart’ of SLC
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sarah Liebrecht, speaking on behalf of supporters of Salt Lake City’s after-hours party scene, during at a council meeting Tuesday evening.
A lone appointed spokesperson for late-night event organizers and attendees acknowledged the proposed ban on after-hours imbibing in private and commercial spaces between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. — sought in part by the Salt Lake City Police Department — had been sidetracked for further study.
“We have made a promise to our community to still show up and comment,” said graphic designer, DJ and producer Sarah Liebrecht, who expressed strong opposition to the proposal, adding that she spoke for tens of thousands of event supporters.
“This measure represents government overreach into private spaces,” she told the council, “criminalizing consensual gatherings among adults.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City Council Chair Chris Wharton, who represents District 3, with council colleagues.
Such private parties and after-hours gatherings, she said, are safe, deploy security and age restrictions, and comply with other city ordinances. Banning them, Liebrecht said, “would misallocate city resources, diverting officers and services from areas where they’re truly needed.”
“Most importantly,” she said, “it threatens the heart of Salt Lake City’s culture and economy.”
According to council Chair Chris Wharton, it is unclear when the proposed ban might resurface at future meetings.
Aid fund for flood victims
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Neighbors come together as extensive flooding causes damage to homes near 800 North and Sir Philip Drive, just east of Interstate 215, on Saturday.
Advocates from the nonprofit Westside Coalition later announced a fundraising drive to assist 27 homeowners and others hit by weekend flooding, primarily in the Willow Place neighborhood in Rose Park, near Interstate 215.
Those interested can contribute at westsideslc.org/floodrelief or with other aid groups such as The American Red Cross, coalition organizers said.
Several affected residents and Petro spoke of the devastation wrought by the once-a-century downpour Friday and Saturday, which led Mayor Erin Mendenhall to declare a state of emergency to free up assistance funds.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City Council member Victoria Petro, who represents District 1, speaks with constituents during the once-yearly council meeting held on city's west side.
“When this water came, it didn’t just take out drywall and carpeting,” said Petro, who praised a massive volunteer effort that emerged to help. “It took away a basic sense of security and safety. For some, it took away hope.”
As residents elsewhere dealt with raindrops, she said of the 2½ inches of weekend rainfall, “we were dealing with the tears of our neighbors as well, with undue fear.”
The city’s website, slc.gov, is providing regular updates and information about resources for those affected.
Praise for Jim Bradley
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Salt Lake County Council member Jim Bradley listens as he is honored during a Salt Lake City Council meeting Tuesday.
Council member Alejandro Puy led the honoring of Bradley, who announced this year he was leaving his at-large post on Salt Lake County Council after 28 years of public service.
In an emotional tribute, Puy called the sometimes brash, always bipartisan politician “a leader whose steady and principled voice has shaped the Salt Lake County community for nearly three decades.” He praised the 79-year-old Democrat’s widespread mentorship and ability “to listen with compassion, with courage, with humility.
“Jim was more interested in moving the ball forward,” Puy said, “than in scoring points.”
The council then presented Bradley with a wooden bowl carved from one of the venerable elm trees lost during the 2020 windstorm in Salt Lake City. “We want to believe,” Puy said, “it was one of the westside trees.”
“Like your legacy,” Puy said, “it is both sturdy and enduring.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Salt Lake County Council member Jim Bradley, center left, is honored during a Salt Lake City Council meeting at the Sorenson Unity Center on Tuesday. Pictured alongside Bradley are City Council members Dan Dugan, Alejandro Puy and Chris Wharton, from left.
In brief remarks, Bradley thanked all in attendance, singling out kids from the city-backed YouthCity program who delivered the Pledge of Allegiance.
“I had a ball,” Bradley said of his career, before striding from the room, “and I mean that in a positive way. ... It was great fun to be able to see the fruits of your labor as you drive through your community.”