ROCK ISLAND, Ill., (KWQC) - The Rock Island City Council voted four to three in favor of closing bars in the district early. Bars and nightclubs will now have to close permanently at 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. Nightlife in the district has been under a temporary ordinance to close at 2 a.m. since August after an incident that left one dead and five injured downtown.
Aldermen in favor say it will make the district safer. Some business owners say it will hurt their bars.
“We came here and opened our businesses because of the plaza, because of the downtown and they asked us to help create the arts and entertainment district which we did and now in two votes, they basically took it away from us,” says Terry Tilka, owner of Rock Island Brewing Company.
Tilka says the issue of violence in the district is something that happens outside in the plaza and isn’t the responsibility of businesses.
“This whole issue of safety and security has been going on for thirty or forty years. How it became our problem as business owners and property owners is beyond me,” he says.
Mayor Mike Thoms says safety is a priority saying, “Just putting up fencing and putting police officers down there doesn’t automatically tell the story that it’s safe, it just doesn’t. There have to be other elements that change also.”
Although bars will now have to close only one hour earlier, Tilka says that one hour makes a big difference, especially since COVID has caused a big drop in sales.
“[The district] was the envy of the Quad Cities for a while and now it’s empty. Walk outside and you won’t see anyone walking around. During the day the parking lots are empty, during the night the parking lots are empty,” he says.
Tilka says his neighboring businesses are now looking to leave the district.
“I feel bad for Rock Island and their residents but I don’t see anything happening out here for years,” he says, “It’s scary, and what’s going to happen next, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m scared to death.”
TV6 reached out to Mayor Thoms for additional comment and the councilman who represents the district. We have not heard back yet.
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March 01, 2021 at 06:33AM
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Rock Island business owner upset after council votes to close district bars early - KWQC
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