New Proposal May Mean 3am Last Call
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown is contemplating the possibility of drafting legislation that would allow city bars to stay open until 3 am. The catch, and also a selling point to some, is that the extra hour of tax revenue would be given to public schools in Philadelphia. Last call in Philadelphia is currently 2 am which some complain is too early especially considering many New York bars stay open until 4 am. This, however, is an exception as most cities throughout the country abide by 1 or 2 am last calls.
Many traditionalist Pennsylvania reactionaries have already tried to shoot the bill down by claiming that it will cause a spike in crime. Excuse me for any naïveté but I imagine this is just an attempt to strike fear into anyone on the fence by blindly throwing a word that incites fear into an already touchy debate. Some also argue that adding an extra two hours and making 4 am the closing time would make more sense.
The more important issue in this specific case will likely be the reallocation of the taxes to city schools. Another issue that must be considered is whether enough people will be interested in changing their nightly habits to make it worth it for bars to stay open that late.
Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown has created a poll on her Facebook to gauge interest in the bill. As of June 8th, 88% of people voted in support of the potential bill. If you want to pitch in, vote on her page.