11-24-2018, 12:16 PM
(11-24-2018, 11:44 AM)jamincan Wrote: I don't know if there are events that get policing covered by the City or Region, but I know that for RunWaterloo and Cycle Waterloo events (most if not all of them), they have to pay to have police coverage, roads closed etc. These events are a positive part of our regional culture and should be encouraged.
I honestly have no opposition to the Ezra Street parties, but it seems ridiculous to me that we should just shrug our shoulders and effectively give students a $500K grant to go drink on the street several times a year. This is not how public money should be spent.
I'm not saying I like the Ezra situation, in fact, it drives me nuts.
But most people seem to feel the solution is somewhere between "those damn kids should grow up" and "shut the damn thing down, martial law if you have too"...this attitude, I feel is a good portion of the problem, even if you're worried about cost, I believe a large portion of the cost derives from over policing in an attempt to stifle the party.
We aren't even remotely close to the "this should be a sanctioned and organized event".