FORT WORTH, TX (1080 KRLD) - Soon, open containers could become illegal in and around Fort Worth's West 7th District.
The Fort Worth City Council is expected to vote next Tuesday on whether to ban open containers within a specific area in that district.
Fort Worth Assistant Police Chief Robert Alldredge says the area has seen an increase in people hanging out outside those bars drinking.
"Normally that's not an issue," says Alldredge. "But what usually happens is as the bars are letting out, confrontations occur; and back in the summer, we had a shooting in West 7th. The shooting suspects were individuals that were under 21 years of age that were just loitering around the area."
In the State of Texas, there is no law banning open containers.
"TABC laws don't allow patrons to take alcoholic beverages purchased in those establishments out," says Fort Worth Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck, whose district includes West 7th. "So we know that the people on the street carrying open containers are drinking on the street have brought those from elsewhere."
Cities, however, have the right to enact their own bans.
"The only ordinance we have right now dealing with open containers has to do with proximity to homeless shelters," says Beck. "That's been on the books a while."
The proposed open container-free zone would be bound by Lancaster Ave., the railroad tracks to the east, Weisenberger St., Carroll St., 5th Avenue and University Dr.
"It became clear that this was important to enact specifically in the West 7th area, and only in the West 7th area, where we are trying to make sure that that entertainment district remains vibrant and lively but safe," says Beck.
"Our goal with this is really to discourage the loitering in that area," says Alldredge. "There's no reason for somebody under 21 years of age to be in that area during that time."
"We think it will be a highly effective tool at bringing (down) the temperature and the chaos that comes with that turned-up temperature in around West 7th," Beck says.
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