With good reason is there a hue and cry in St. Petersburg in the told-you-so aftermath of extending bar hours to 3 a.m. back in 2010. Incidents and accidents are up–and it has put an understandable strain on the St. Pete Police Force. Now an early morning melee at the Scene Premium Nightclub in downtown has resulted in a shooting and two gun-shot injuries.
Calls for beefed-up security at clubs have been ongoing. Sure, that’s the responsibility of owners, including Scene co-owner Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.
But here’s the real point, especially for a downtown which deserves to be known for the arts, fine restaurants and a world-class waterfront–and not for punks, drunks and thugs. Any business, because of the clientele it courts, that truly NEEDS metal detectors and weapons pat-downs doesn’t deserve to be in business. Period. That’s the real issue behind this ugly scene.