Beale Street to Ban All Guns

[Smith]

I may have missed something, but isn't it a very hard and complicated thing to get a street rezoned as private property? I can't imagine anything the city or Beale Street folks have done has rezoned it. If that is the case it wouldn't matter what district or other designation the area is, the street itself would still be public property and thus illegal to barricade and search as it is done. Now they obviously did something to all alcohol to be sold on the side walks, but I don't know if that would alter the street itself. If they didn't sell their rights to the road property to a private party then it wouldn't it still be public thoroughfare and subject to said laws?. Just curious if anyone actually knows.

[DaveTN]

I may have missed something, but isn't it a very hard and complicated thing to get a street rezoned as private property? I can't imagine anything the city or Beale Street folks have done has rezoned it. If that is the case it wouldn't matter what district or other designation the area is, the street itself would still be public property and thus illegal to barricade and search as it is done. Now they obviously did something to all alcohol to be sold on the side walks, but I don't know if that would alter the street itself. If they didn't sell their rights to the road property to a private party then it wouldn't it still be public thoroughfare and subject to said laws?. Just curious if anyone actually knows.

Well I don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t think zoning would have anything to do with it. I would guess that Beale Street is zoned commercial, but that does not have anything to do with whether it’s public or private. Private property can also be zoned commercial.

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I also believe that cities can own the streets and restrict or barricade them as they like; I see it done all the time. Historic districts, City celebrations, I even saw them barricade and restricted for exhibition semi-truck drag races. And yes, the citizens foot the bill for the street department to do it and the Police to provide extra security.

There is a video on this page from news 3. It shows the signs that are being posted and they appear to have the proper language.

(I didn’t insert the video because you have to watch a commercial first.)

Guns in Bars in TN;Guns Banned on Beale Street;Merchants Ban Guns on Beale - WREG

This video (with the SW1911 on it) says your guns will be taken from you, and if you try to enter a club you will be arrested. (But it’s just the CEO of Performa).

Beale Street to ban guns, use metal detectors - WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com |

This is an interesting read from February where the city sued Performa.

City files lawsuit against Performa over Beale : Local News : Memphis Commercial Appeal

The city of Memphis is suing Performa Entertainment Real Estate Inc., the company that has developed and operated the famous Beale Street Entertainment District for more than two decades.

The lawsuit, the city's first direct action against Performa, was filed Wednesday under seal in Chancery Court.

Performa CEO John Elkington, 61, claims the city is trying to kick him off the street in order to turn it over to another developer.

In 1982, the city signed a contract that put Beale under private management with Elkington. Leases are held by Beale Street Development, the private firm that was originally supposed to develop the street, and Performa, which manages and ultimately developed the street.

Edited July 12, 2009 by DaveTN

[Guest Rick O'Shay]

Restaurant owners unhappy about new gun law - WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com |

Watch the video. It looks like "Gunbuster" signs will be going up all over Memphis. Too bad they don't mean sh*t.

[Guest SMZRU275]

Beale St. is a total hellhole. Undesirables and tourist are really the only two groups you find there. Its been on a steady decline for over the past decade down there, at a fast rate.

In a sense this shouldn't even been a big deal, because most people who follow the CARRY LAWS respectably probably would not be caught dead down there. Unless your thing is getting harassed and overpaying for bad drinks and being a target.

But yea on the principle, people should be able to do what the state laws and HCP allow.