Should Columbia bars close earlier? 2 a.m. closing brings problems of its own

It’s 2 a.m. on Sunday — the time when state law requires all bars to close.

All at once, Five Points patrons, who just minutes before were partying inside bars, are forced to leave. A massive crowd of about 1,200 young people begin walking down Harden Street, spilling onto the roadway. About 900 more mill around the Five Points fountain.

Traffic lights are more of a suggestion than a rule now, as groups cross in front of honking cars stopped at a green light. Young women are walking home barefoot with high heels in hand, while young men are looking for “anywhere” to urinate.

The city of Columbia is considering a proposal to force all bars to close at 2 a.m. every night of the week, bringing an end to the issuance of city permits that allow bars to serve alcohol until sunrise Monday through Saturday.

But many aren’t convinced the proposal will curb the late-night partying that Five Points businesses and nearby neighbors say is destroying the funky urban village.

“When you throw a bunch of college kids in the street at the same time, you’re asking for trouble,” said Tanner Jones, manager of Latitude 22, a bar on Five Points’ main artery, Harden Street. It will lead to more house parties as well as drinking and driving, he added.

“We already have problems with 2 a.m. closings. Now this (proposal) will just add to it,” Jones said.

Forcing thousands of bar patrons out at the same time increases the odds for fights, said 22-year-old Harrison Chewning, a University of South Carolina student.

“People walk out with issues. Someone says something and it comes off the wrong way,” Chewning said. “It gets a bit ridiculous.”

You almost have to be on edge, ready for anything to happen, said 20-year-old Brian Hatch, a bouncer at Latitude 22.

“Someone bumps into someone else, it normally isn’t a big deal, but out here …” Hatch said wide-eyed and shaking his head.

The Columbia Police Department says it can handle the mass exodus that comes with mandatory 2 a.m. bar closings, said City Councilman Howard Duvall, who is behind the 2 a.m. closing proposal.

“I put my trust in (Columbia Police) Chief Holbrook and his officers to take care of this situation,” he said.

The goal is to eliminate the underage drinkers from Five Points. By requiring bars to close at 2 a.m., underage drinkers may stop going, Duvall added, or at least leave at an earlier time to beat the crowd.

Either way, Duvall said he’d much rather have underage students stay home and drink, as opposed to being at a bar that is “serving them drinks when they are way beyond the point of intoxication.”

Dick Harpootlian said young people being overserved alcohol is the heart of the issue.

“It’s a huge civil liability to overserve any patron anywhere, and if they hurt someone, you’re liable for it,” said Harpootlian, an attorney who lives near Five Points and is part of a group fighting to close bars at 2 a.m. “The only reason you continue to serve them is greed. To make money.”

Quit overserving people and the mass exodus at 2 a.m. becomes less of an issue, he said.

“I’ve been to Broadway and all the theaters let out at the same time. Everybody disperses in an orderly fashion – thousands and thousands of people – and they go home. Nobody gets punched out; nobody gets hit by a car. Many cities can accommodate that if they’re not stumbling down drunk,” Harpootlian said.

Columbia is the only town with a team in the Southeastern Conference that serves alcohol after 2 a.m., Harpootlian said. “Why do we have to be the school that’s pouring alcohol until sun up? This isn’t Vegas.”

By 2:20 a.m. on a recent Sunday morning, Uber drivers clog the far right lane of Harden Street with flashing hazard lights, while people attempt to squeeze five or six into the car at a time. Waffle House, Cook Out, Pita Pit and Grilled Teriyaki are filled to the brim with late-night orders.

Closing the bars early doesn’t mean people will cut their night short.

“It’s too early to close,” one person said on the sidewalk.

One young man went to the College Mart on Devine Street, bought a six pack of what appeared to be Shock Top beer and walked away carrying it on top of his head. Another group of men were heading to a house party with a 24-pack of Natural Light.

“If the bars start closing at 2 (a.m.) every night, my buddies and I always keep a gallon of liquor in the back for a parking lot party,” said one man, who asked not to be named.

Denali Culver and Hannah Slater contributed to this report.

This story was originally published March 11, 2018 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Should Columbia bars close earlier? 2 a.m. closing brings problems of its own."