Thursday, 4:30 PM
With playoffs at hand, Menino asks bar owners to be careful about who they serve
(Patricia McDonnell/Globe Staff/file)
By Globe Staff
With the Red Sox heading into the playoffs tomorrow and bars and restaurants expecting an influx of sports fans, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is asking the establishments in the Fenway Park area not to serve minors and not to serve anyone who is already drunk.
In a letter sent to liquor and entertainment license holders in the area yesterday, Menino said he was "depending on your responsible actions to help stem instances of underaged drinking, and overservice of alcohol."
Menino said he was particularly concerned about underage drinkers. "Exposure of underaged persons to alcohol at such events creates countless public health, safety, and order issues for the city, and will not be tolerated," he said.
Menino warned the license holders that police would be keeping an eye on them. He also reminded them that media outlets are not allowed to broadcast from their establishments, unless they have permission from the city. (Such broadcasts in the past have seemed to fuel fan frenzy.)
"It is vital that you continue to act responsibly and adhere to your obligations and duties as a license holder," Menino wrote.
In recent years, city officials have issued warnings to the area bars and restaurants, stepped up police presence on the streets, and taken other precautions before major Red Sox and Patriots games, hoping to prevent rowdy celebrations that have resulted in vandalism and arrests.
The disorder peaked in Red Sox and Patriots victory celebrations in 2004 in which two people were killed.
