It appears the Joplin City Council is preparing for yet another crackdown on cruising Main, the most recent of several over the years.
Today's Joplin Globe features young people's reaction to the proposal:
By Mike Dwyer
Loud music, loads of people, fancy cars, and flurries of activity.
It’s cruise night on Joplin's Main Street, and it's easy to see why young people are drawn to it.
But all the elements that draw hoards of teenagers and young adults to Main Street have caused headaches for some in an increasingly residential downtown and prompted the City Council to revisit the issue of cruising.
The council discussed a variety of options for limiting what some have deemed an American pastime at an informal session June 3, but some cruising Main Street on a recent Saturday night said that placing further restrictions will limit recreational options for young people in a town they say doesn't have many.
Stefan Hokill, 17, of Carthage, said that if he weren't out with the crowd on Main Street on a Friday or Saturday night, he would "probably be going to parties and getting into a lot of trouble."
Instead, he said, he's out meeting people from Carl Junction, Webb City, Joplin — forming relationships that wouldn't have been fostered under any other circumstances.
"This is where we make friends," he said. "Carthage, Webb City — the rivalry — normally we hate each other."
Hokill said he usually stays out until about midnight and then goes home. Some downtown residents have expressed concerns that cruising-related activities often extend well into the early morning hours.
Cruising is defined by the city as a vehicle driving two times in the same direction past a control point during a two-hour period. Some say concerns raised are not from the cruising itself but rather the problems that are considered cruising-related — illegal drug activity, excessive noise, loitering and other peace disturbances.
According to city statistics, the Joplin Police Department received more than 900 calls in reference to cruising-related activities in 2005 and nearly 1,600 in 2006.
John Maxwell, 16, of Webb City, and Autumn Dorris, 18, of Carl Junction, said that fighting is a fairly common sight on a cruise night.
"A lot of drama starts on Main," Dorris said.
Maxwell said he probably sees one fight every weekend.
The council reached a consensus that an increased police presence on Main Street would be desirable, but these cruisers said that the Joplin Police Department, which accrues $20,000 a year in cruising-related overtime expense, has an overwhelming presence on Main Street.
"I think you see cops on every corner, pretty much," Dorris said.
Another idea endorsed by the council, though it took no action June 3, was to ban parking on Main Street during cruising hours. Councilman Phil Stinnett was a proponent of the idea, saying that it would eliminate many associated problems.
Cruisers balk at the idea. Cory Burton, 17, of Carthage, said with the price of gas at nearly $3 a gallon, he wondered who could afford a cruise night if parking were prohibited.
"The only place we can park is on the street," he said. "You've got to be able to park. Really, you’re here to congregate with people."
An ordinance prohibiting cruising was between 18th and 28th streets was passed in 1992. An idea discussed by the council was extending that ban to include the downtown area and limit the activity to the eight blocks between 10th and 18th streets where there are no residential units.
"That limits our places to hang out," Hokill said in his opposition to extending the ban.
Maxwell said cruisers driving north on Main Street through downtown typically turn around and head back north at First Street or Second Street.
The Police Department is in the process of gathering more statistics on cruising and related activities to present to the City Council in a few weeks. The council is expected to take some sort of action at that time.
Amber Lasley, 17, or Carl Junction, said she would understand if some limitations were imposed but a win-win situation must be worked so downtown residents and cruisers can coexist.
"Reasonable restrictions would be fine, but you can't ban cruising altogether," she said. "If there's no fighting, no vandalism, then I think it's fine. You’re wanting to meet new people."
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