HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-19-2016 Public Comment, CooperCOUNCIL MFI=TING 0 4 J l'{ 1 -z_-C't t.
ITEM NO.:
SPR 19 2.010
The 14th Annual San Luis Obispo Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event
will be held on Saturday, April 30th in Mission Plaza. I will not be
walking in high heels that day but in lieu of that I will be speaking
from my heart to you tonight. Because I'm a man, there is no way
for me to fully comprehend the humiliation and trauma caused by
a sexual assault. Twenty percent of all women have been
subjected to sexual assaults. And only 114 to 113 of all sexual
assaults and rapes are reported. It is well known that alcohol
plays a significant role in sexual assaults by incapacitating women
and/or clouding their judgements. So I am aggrieved of the fact
that this City has yet to own up to its responsibility in aiding a
abetting sexual assaults by allowing more alcohol outlets to be
located downtown. As you must know by now, the CDC has
proven conclusively that areas with a high concentration of
alcohol outlets experience a higher than normal number of rapes
and assaults. For example, in a 2015 CDC study a 3% relative
reduction in alcohol outlet density in a specific area (Buckhead,
GA) from 1097-2002 to 2003-2007 was associated with a 2 -fold
greater reduction in exposure to violent crime than occurred
elsewhere, where exposure to on -premises retail alcohol outlets
increased.
If a record number of rapes (44) and assaults (168) were reported in
SLO last year alone then there is a public health crisis in San Luis
Obispo. An increased police presence, a Downtown bar/restaurant
inspection program and annual training for bar owners and staff has
not resulted in a decrease in the number of drunk in public, open
container, physical assaults and sexual assault incidents. Mr. Codron
in his December 10, 2015 review of the effectiveness of the the 2012
Alcohol Outlet Regulations omitted mention of the number of reported
rapes (44) and simple assaults (168) which have gone up dramatically
over the past 3 years.
One can fairly surmise that the City is exacerbating this public health
crisis by permitting 8 more (a 16% increase) alcohol outlets over the
last 3 years within a census district seriously over -concentrated with
alcohol outlets. In the final analysis, the City should be held morally, if
not legally, responsible for aiding and abetting criminal activity related
to the continued proliferation and increasing concentration of alcohol
outlets in our Downtown Care.