Camden mayor to impose business curfew Sep. 17
A year after enacting a business curfew, Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd is setting Sept. 17 as the first day the citywide curfew will be implemented.
Camden mayor to impose business curfew Sep. 17
After much delay, Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd is setting Sept. 17 as the first day the citywide business curfew will be implemented.
The city will soon be sending out letters and posting fliers notifying affected businesses of the new regulation of hours of operation.
The curfew ordinance, intended to help curb crime, was enacted on Sept. 19, 2011. It requires businesses in residential zones or within 200 feet of a residential zone to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays and between midnight and 6 a.m. on weekends. The curfew does not apply to pharmacies or businesses holding liquor licenses or selling fuel.
City activist Frank Fulbrook, along with operators of some late-night businesses, filed a lawsuit against the curfew last fall. A few months later, 7-Eleven Inc., which has two stores in Camden, filed a similar lawsuit against the city. Both lawsuits were combined and a pretrial hearing was scheduled for Aug. 15 but it was postponed until Oct. 2, said Fulbrook’s attorney John Calzaretto.
“To date, the City of Camden has refrained from the enforcement of the ordinance and therefore a restraining order is not presently being pursued,” Calzaretto said in an e-mail last week.
The enforcement will come just as a new 7-Eleven, Subway, and Three Chiles Grill are scheduled to open on the ground floor of the new Rutgers-Camden residence hall on Cooper Street.
7-Eleven is hoping to be open 24 hours and is not withdrawing its suit.
Still, said, company spokesman Scott Drake in an e-mail: “We will fully comply with all current ordinances regarding operating hours in Camden as we do in many other areas. … We happen to know from our experience that our guests have needs that span all 24 hours of the day, so it is our preference.”
LOL businesses with liquor licenses should be the main targets of this curfew, not exempt from it.— Only in Philly...- oneway - the state regulates liquor and gun licenses/sales. The city regulates curfews.— msmame
- @sharkymachine: Why don't you show us the Democrat plan of addressing this "culture of crime" issue? Since every violent area in America is a Democratic stronghold, you guys should have enough experience. LOL!! Keep voting Democrat you fools. It's working out so well for ya!— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
- WOW!! Businesses holding liquor licenses will be exempt from the curfew??? This really stupid! Alcohol and guns have been proven not to mix. I wonder who decided to exempt liquor stores?— oneway
- Camden is the natural result of the Republicans' war against the poor and minorities.— eldiablodelsol2009
- I don't understand all the negative posting. They're trying something. If it doesn't work, they can try something else, but at least they're trying something. And it's only within 200 feet of a residential zone, so that doesn't mean ALL non-exempt businesses have to close. If anything, I'm sure people living in those areas, trying to sleep during those hours will appreciate less traffic.— msmame
- If they do this, there will be a research paper done on the impact of this law in short time. The area is full of GIS nerds trying to get tenure. I think it will have a moderate impact on crime rates in general and specific benefits to affected neighborhoods. Closing these stores will reduce late night interactions of young men, it will also cut down on late night storefront panhandling and loitering. I do not see where it is illegal as the city has the regulatory authority to promote health and safety. Obviously this law was passed to please aggrieved citizens of residential areas abutting convenience stores. And if this does work, look for similar laws to be replicated in other cities around the country who do not have the money to hire more police to deal with the problems these stores facilitate.— bobcitydoc
- Keep voting Democrat!!— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
Comment removed.- Brilliant! The next time Camden elects a Republican mayor I will be sure to email them asking about their plan. — psyrus
- Comment removed.
- Really, you're going there? I thought this was an site for adult conversation. — canaan1
- More proof the city is run by morons.— Jangocat
A typical short sighted Democrat move. Instead of addressing the culture of crime, let's do the easy (yet illegal) thing and get select businesses to close. Pathetic.— Professor1982- Comment removed.
- How do Republicans even factor into this conversation? They haven't offered an viable idea in decades. De they even know their way to Camden? — canaan1
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- Completely illegal. Fools.— maldorer
- Wow. I'd like to see the research that warrants this.— SuziSaul
Prior to covering Camden, Claudia wrote about South Jersey’s interesting dead as the South Jersey obituary writer. Before arriving at the Inquirer in 2010, Claudia covered crime in Rochester, NY, which, like Camden, has struggled to emerge from the fall of its industrial peak several decades ago.
You may contact Claudia at cvargas@phillynews.com and follow Claudia on Twitter here.
