Police, community trying to keep youth out of bar district

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Working the streets of Kansas City's bustling Westport entertainment district one summer night in 2001, Maj. Jan Zimmerman watched in amazement as a 7-year-old and two 12-year-olds walked by -- at 2 a.m. Something had to be done, she said.

A year later, stepped up enforcement of the city's curfew law and efforts to give young people more places to hang out has helped cut the under-18 crowd that had sometimes pushed into the thousands.

Owners of the bars, dance clubs and shops that fill Westport -- a funky mix of ethnic restaurants, clubs and clothiers that attract both tourists and locals -- say the large crowds are hurting business.

The issue, youth say, is one of race. The young throngs that invade Westport each weekend are largely black, the merchants' customers largely white. Merchants dispute that and say the problem is about nothing more than the crowds keeping paying customers away.

"It's horrendous," said Jerry Arnoldy, owner of Mill Creek Brewery. "I'd say business is off from three years ago at least 30 percent. I'd guess a lot of people down here are hanging by a thread."

Other business owners have reported similar drops in business, said Greg Lever, executive director of the Westport Merchants Association.

"They aren't making any money off the big crowds," Zimmerman said of the merchants. "They aren't selling anything to these people because they aren't in the bars."

Reputation hurt

Though the area is generally safe, patrons also said reports of the occasional fight hurt the area's reputation.

Owners last year asked the city to let them privatize the streets and control the entrances, barring underage people from entering.

But concerns that the rules were racist doomed the proposal.

Lever said some merchants would still like to block off the streets at night, when the main businesses open are drinking establishments. But he said no one is pursuing it.

"It's an age issue, not a race issue," Lever said of the proposal. "We don't care what color people are here."

Patrons who visited the area this summer discussed the racial undercurrent. Mark Krawczyk, 30, of Independence, said it was intimidating to walk out of a bar and see a crowd of youth.

"You wanted to walk around and not jack with them," he said.

But a group of black men said they were drawn to the area because it was a safe place to meet people. The friends who stood outside the bars said they didn't want to cause trouble.

"It's not our fault they get intimidated. I get intimidated when I go to Oak Park Mall," said Jaime Johnson, 24, of Kansas City, referring to the shopping center in the affluent and mostly white suburb of Overland Park, Kan. "But they don't care about that."

Youngest faces gone

Though this year's crowds grew as the summer went on, Zimmerman said the youngest faces are gone. Officials credit that to several efforts, among them warnings issued by police to juveniles found hanging out after midnight on weekends and 11 p.m. on weeknights.

A campaign was launched to educate teens about the policy, providing information through the school, churches and courts. This year, parents of curfew violators are being cited when they pick up their children at the police station.

A club geared to young people was set up several Saturdays this summer in a Westport hotel and conference center.

The city's parks and recreation department also has increased the promotion of its night basketball games, volleyball leagues, late-night bowling and other programs.