“I am deeply concerned by reports of the bottle throwing melee that injured more than five people in SoHo this week. That is why I have immediately convened an emergency meeting next week between my office, the NYPD, and the nightlife industry. The purpose of this meeting is to send a clear message to all nightclub patrons that bottles cannot be used as weapons and to determine if the guidelines surrounding bottle service need to be updated or reworked.”

“This emergency meeting builds upon the Council’s work beginning in 2006, when we convened a summit meeting with the NYPD, the nightlife industry and other community stakeholders. Our collaboration resulted in the publication of the “Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments,” a handbook created to assist the nightlife industry in enhancing safety and preventing illegal activity in their premises. Since we launched this effort, the nightlife industry and police meet on an ongoing basis and the best practices were formally updated in 2011. The best practices have resulted in a significant reduction in incidents in and around nightlife establishments.”

“In light of this week’s incident, I am pleased that both law enforcement and industry officials immediately agreed to meet with me and discuss this important public safety issue as soon as possible. I want to thank the NYPD and the Nightlife Association for working together to examine if new steps are needed to ensure New York City’s nightlife remains safe for all.”

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