Problem
An environment unfriendly to music, street art, sidewalk cafes. A State Liquor Board, heritage from Prohibition and a Billy Graham America, which does not reflect the savvy, gusto and sophistication of the city that we live in. As rents push experimental artists out of their living/performance spaces and into cafes or restaurants, their shows in these spaces bring them right up against the  liquor laws, deny them their natural audiences, and deprive the space of  much needed revenue, often causing it to fold, as happened with the Speakeasy Café. 

Solution
Since Waupato or Vancouver will never let Seattle be Seattle, we cannot realistically expect to address these problems in the  Legislature. What we need is a code of discretion and selective unenforcement in the spirit of community policing. Specifically, a "PERFORMANCE REVIEW BOARD:" two policeman, two fireman, four artists. The goal: to trade concerns and strategies. Police and fireman can talk about safety and security concerns. Artists can identify cutting edge spaces that do worthwhile work. By talking through scenarios in advance, as is done every Summer before Bumbershoot with great success by similar representatives, we can anticipate potential problems, address the legitimate concerns and then, with all the energy we can muster, look the other way.


AMENDMENT EIGHT: "OPEN ARTGATES"

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