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Are Anchorage’s Bars Safe for Patrons?Assault charges against Rumrunner’s raise the questionRelated Content
ANCHORAGE - A popular downtown bar has been charged with assault and tampering with evidence after a customer says he was badly beaten by the bouncers at Rumrunner's. Now the question is, what are other bars and nightclubs doing to put customers at ease that something similar won't happen elsewhere? For Johnny Brown, it was a trip to a downtown bar that turned into a nightmare. He was a customer at Rumrunner’s back in October 2011 and says he got beat up by bouncers. Now the bar is facing criminal charges. “They wouldn't stop assaulting me until I agreed to not press charges,” said Brown. “The bouncer chokes me to the point where I can't breathe and I almost go unconscious.” “If we see private security overstepping their bounds then we have to step in,“ said APD spokesman Lieutenant Dave Parker. Those who work in other bars, like Woodshed Lounge says it's a line that should never have been crossed. “If by us having to go hands-on when a fight breaks out, if that's the best way to do it and we can do it in a safe manner, we are going to stop the fight to keep innocent bystanders from getting hurt,” said Ryan Butler, who does security at Woodshed and says everyone from the managers working the floor to the bartenders and the door staff all of them are communicating, conducting intoxication screenings at the door and even walking out those who are too drunk to stay at the bar. It’s a team approach to making sure everyone is safe. “Nobody wakes up and decides I’m going to go to the bar and see what kind of fights I can pick tonight,” said Butler. “They are all here to drink and hang out with their friends and if you treat them they way you want to be treated everything will work out for the best.” Things are the same a couple of blocks down the street. Humpy’s works with the Alcoholic Beverage Control board and Anchorage Police to make sure their standards are enforced. “They look for situations before they even become situations on the premises,” said Humpy’s general manager Pete Burns. “We run it by those guys first before we make a stand on it because we want to make sure we are covering our bases as well as more importantly our guests bases.” But Anchorage police say the buck doesn't stop with the bars. “A person needs to drink responsibly,” said Parker. “And that means drink responsibly whether you’re at home or whether you’re out at a picnic or whether you’re in a bar.” APD says while most bars do follow the rules, there are some who are not being responsible which is why officers have stepped up their Title IV enforcement of intoxicated drinkers and bars serving them. |
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BobD said on Friday, Apr 20 at 10:14 AM
I suppose they're as safe as anywhere else in these times..
88268886Randy said on Friday, Apr 20 at 10:38 AM
Don't consider Anchorage safe because of all the crimes committed even in the safest neighborhood. With all the perverted cab drivers that act like they never seen a good looking woman before and can't take their eyes off her even when I'm with her, it's amazing they even have a chauffeurs license. How many more women out there that were raped and don't know it because of excessive drinking. And now doorman beating customers because of stress on the job. Whatever happened to calling the police and putting those customers on the 86 list?
88272445Anonymous said on Friday, Apr 20 at 10:44 AM
grew up here...learned to drink in Texas...they got rules...or those I knew did...girls...was a DD for the night who got free food and soda...we had to stay together(same bar) and everyone got dropped off home and checked in before the driver left...good way to have a great time...safely..
88273476Anonymous said on Friday, Apr 20 at 10:46 AM
and that was in the 1980's by the way...stay in groups and have a designated driver...sometimes the girls would opt out of drinking after a beer or two...more fun out of watching live entertainment sober at a bar...best comedian show...the antics...
88273803RayRay said on Friday, Apr 20 at 1:41 PM
I have been to many of the bars downtown and over the last 2 1/2 yrs Rumrunner and platinum jaxx are the unsafest bars.My friends and I stopped going downtown,in 2011 my best friends (4)went to platinum jaxx on a date.The bouncers was shot by a moving car,just after having to dismiss a customer.My friends are in the Army, (2 of the(4) helped the bouncer,ONE was an Army Medic.The only bar I goto *chilkoot charlie's* the bouncers are friendly as well bartenders and barmaids.They all work together,to keep the pardon's safe,and 7 bar's in side to choose from. So Am Safe when I go.
88296496Big Dan said on Friday, Apr 20 at 2:03 PM
Back in the late 70's I was visiting my then girl friend in Anchorage. We were out and about hitting a few of the local nightspots. Driving by "Coots" I said, hey, I have heard about this place lets stop. My girl friends brother in law said hell no, it polish new years, we don't want to stop there, that place is crazy. Finally got to enjoy the place about a year later. Loved it. I am now 58 and would go to "Coots" in a minute if I ever visit Los Anchorage again. Not likely. More likely to visit the Howling Dog in Fox or Skinny Dick's halfway inn.
88298486Karle said on Friday, Apr 20 at 4:32 PM
Well, you can't trust the staff in the bar, you can't trust the cab drivers. You can't trust the patrons, and at times you can't trust your friends. What do you think?
88311134Anongirl said on Saturday, Apr 21 at 12:05 AM
I like Koots security a lot. Theyre professionally dressed and they don't stand around scowling. Also, when fights do break out, you can tell who the security people are. Plastering SECURITY on a muscle shirt doesn't help when all the guys are wearing muscle shirts and theyre all in a big pile. Koots bouncers are amazingly efficient at getting drunks out that front door, with a camera on them, before you even realized anything happened. There's no predicting what crowd will blow through on any particular night, but you always watch your drink, and order beer since bartenders vary wildly in how much booze they put in mixed drinks, and you can't always taste the alcohol in your drink. With beer you know how many you've really had. A large mixed drink can have three beers worth of alcohol easy. Common sense.
88341854Mike J. said on Saturday, Apr 21 at 11:31 AM
I'm part of the Over 50 crowd, we partied hearty in my day and never had half the problems they do now. Interesting listening to the Police radio on weekends. As soon as it gets near closing time, there's always a large fight in the parking lot at Koots, and always something dealing with a weapon at Jaxx. Usually RumeRunner calls before close. Sad to see that certainsecurity seem to get their egos up, and hope they get nailed bad. But still have to wonder what was up with Mr Brown, and how many other bars he's had 'problems' with?
88382046Mandy Gershon said on Saturday, Apr 21 at 12:33 PM
Put breathalyzers in the bars and we can check for ourselves if we're too drunk -- and hey -- we'd only have to bother cops for refills.
88386016Michael Kocher said on Saturday, Apr 21 at 4:44 PM
Yeah, bouncers definitely need to dress more professionally in Anchorage, half the time you can't even tell they're working, it's just some random scruffy dude asking for your ID. Do you work here or are you trying to steal my identity? There was a situation one time at the Anchor, one of my friends got into a fight with another group of guys, and so I just reacted and started grabbing dudes and throwing them off my friend to try and separate everyone. Well, turns out like two of those guys were security at the Anchor so they banned me for a few weeks because the head of security and I talked after the fact and he realized I was just trying to grab my friend and defuse the situation, only reason i didn't get 86'd. But, anyway, if they had been wearing shirts that clearly identified them as security, and looked professional, not just like dudes wearing tight black t-shirts, things would have been different.
8840182621_newb said on Sunday, Apr 22 at 2:49 AM
All of these posts are about the old days... times change. !999 doesn't pertain to today let alone 2009. All the places get a little crazy - but mostly it is the people that do it. Unfortunately rum runners just set a bad example upon all the bars - good job - send the juice bags back to worlds gym.
88428235Justice said on Sunday, Apr 22 at 7:54 AM
Ha HA Ha If you hang out in bars,like bar flies,drink like a fish, try to act like Superman,hang out with low life, guess you get what you came for. "TROUBLE".
88449244Anonymous said on Monday, Apr 23 at 1:42 AM
Alcohol Addiction or Alcohol Abuse in Alaska Over a One Year Period (Annual Averages Based on 2002 and 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health): •In Alaska it was estimated on a survey-weighted hierarchical Bayes estimation approach that the total number of individuals with an alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse problem over a one year period was 43,000. ◦An estimated 4,000 of the individuals with an alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse problem in Alaska over a one year period were between the ages of 12-17 years old. ◦An estimated 12,000 of the individuals with an alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse problem in Alaska over a one year period were between the ages of 18-25 years old. ◦An estimated 27,000 of the individuals with an alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse problem in Alaska over a one year period were 26 or older.
88519636Anonymous said on Monday, Apr 23 at 1:43 AM
Binge Alcohol Use in Alaska Over a One Month Period (Annual Averages Based on 2002 and 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health): •In Alaska it was estimated on a survey-weighted hierarchical Bayes estimation approach that the total number of binge alcohol users over a one month period was 116,000. ◦An estimated 8,000 of the binge alcohol users in Alaska over a one month period were between the ages of 12-17 years old. ◦An estimated 26,000 of the binge alcohol users in Alaska over a one month period were between the ages of 18-25 years old. ◦An estimated 82,000 of the binge alcohol users in Alaska over a one month period were 26 or older.
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