‘Mayor Footloose’ bans dancing, loud music in part of Missouri town. Here’s why
The mayor of a Missouri town announced Monday loud music and dancing are now banned in a three-block area due to an uptick in violence.
Don’t expect Kevin Bacon in “Footloose” fashion to overturn the ban in St. Charles — a St. Louis suburb.
“I didn’t get the name Mayor Footloose by accident,” Mayor Daniel Borgmeyer said Monday while announcing the ban. “But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to control it.”
In September, the City of St. Charles announced it was eliminating “music activities” after 11 p.m. on Main Street to try to quell the crowds. Borgmeyer said Monday he is dropping the “enforcement hammer” and will begin punishing businesses that defy his order.
The new order means all liquor-license holders will have to prohibit dancing and loud music at their businesses. The area is not zoned for such activity, the mayor said.
The three-block area in St. Charles has received “an increase in the number of police-involved incidents,” Borgmeyer said.
“Part of what we have seen is an uptick in the use of weapons,” St. Charles Police Captain Ray Juengst said. “We have had several investigations where people have been hurt or assaulted, or even most recently murder. Those seem to be coming at the end of bars closing at nights.”
A 26-year-old man was shot and killed around 11 p.m. on Dec. 26 on North Main Street, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Due to more-restrictive coronavirus shutdowns in nearby areas, St. Charles businesses “have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of patrons.,” Borgmeyer said. It has led to crowded sidewalks, though the mayor said “99% of patrons” have been law-abiding and socially responsible.
Borgmeyer said about 20 establishments will be affected by the changes. If any of them do not comply, the mayor said he may take their licenses away or shut them down.
“My message today is clear. St. Charles will be safe and we will take whatever measures necessary to guarantee that,” he added.