In an effort to curb the growing violence problem at Greene Square in downtown Cedar Rapids, the city council now says it is considering banning the use of alcohol in the park.

If you're like me, it will be news to you to learn that alcohol is even permitted in 70 of the city's 97 city parks, including Greene Square, according to city code.

With an abundance of bars already available for people to meet their beverage needs downtown, it only makes sense to consider this ban, if they think it will do anything to lessen the uptick in violence. Then again, couldn't a case be made that folks filtering out of those bars at any given time could be just as prone to dispersing the brawl outside?

But parks are intended to be family-friendly spots for the whole community to enjoy.

To be exact, the city says that in 70 of 97 city parks in Cedar Rapids, you can "use, consume, or have" up to one quart of alcohol without a permit.

Not only will tobacco and alcohol bans in parks intend to curb bad behavior, they will also potentially decrease maintenance costs for the city.

[Via CBS2]

 

 

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