by Maria DeBlassie
Daily Lobo
"Mad Dog" Chad Zollo is upset over Mayor Martin Ch†vez's proposal to ban all-ages shows where alcohol is served.
Zollo showed up to Civic Plaza on Friday morning to protest the proposal.
"It's these kids that come to my shows that buy the clothing on my back," said Zollo, who is the drummer for the band 12 Step Rebels.
Zollo was one of the more than 100 protesters who got a chance to voice their concerns before the Regulation and License Department during a public hearing at City Council chambers.
No decision was made on the proposal Friday. Another hearing will take place Tuesday in Santa Fe, after which the department will have 30 days to decide.
Although the mayor's proposal seeks to separate minors from alcohol, many who attended the hearing saw it as a direct attack against small businesses and the minors who support them.
UNM student Adam Hevey said the mayor is forgetting that some of the minors he is alienating are also voters.
"I have a personal message to Marty," he said. "I am under 21, but I am a voter and he would be wise not to forget that."
Paul Chavez, Albuquerque Police deputy chief, said he has seen children as young as 13 years old intoxicated at all-ages events.
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"Whenever a situation where under-21 men and women are mixed with adults, it's typically a very volatile situation," he said. "We approach many kids who have obviously been drinking. This is most prevalent at all-ages events."
Joe Anderson, owner of Launchpad, said without the revenue from liquor sales, he would not be able to afford events at his venue.
"We haven't been really given a reason that this is happening," Anderson said. "I would love a chance to debate and find out why this is going on."
He also offered alternate ways to help stop underage drinking. He said he was more than willing to help establish certification classes that would train venue workers on how to keep alcohol away from minors at these events.
Albuquerque resident Nathan Smith said it's not the responsibility of these venues to make sure kids don't drink - it's the parents'.
"Talk to your kids, love your kids," Smith said. "Give them a place to go."
High school student Jill Franks said she's frustrated by the fact that the people who don't go to these shows are the ones making the decisions.
Ch†vez has proposed funding venues where minors could attend concerts and no alcohol would be served.
Franks said she would go to government-funded establishments if they had the quality of these smaller venues.
"Like Dance, Dance, Dance, It's a Teen Thing," Franks said. "But if you've seen that on TV - it's disturbing."
Parents, band members and minors alike claimed it was easier to obtain alcohol in places like the Journal Pavilion, Isotopes Stadium and Peter Piper's Pizza than at places like Launchpad.
Lisa-Marie Gomez is a minor who supports the proposal.
She sees music and alcohol as two separate issues, and businesses are manipulating the youth in order to keep the proposal from passing, she said.
"We have been made to believe that the only way to enjoy a favorite band is by going to a bar or club," she said. "We are being exploited to fight for the bar. I don't like to be used."
