Two New Jersey cities are cracking down on St.Patrick's parade inebriation by issuing maximum fines for public drunkenness and threatening jail time.
Holboken, just across the river Hudson from New York has experienced major problems in recent years with public drunkenness and urination and is taking a stiff approach for the March 5th event.
Local politicians fear a huge crowd of drunken revelers and point to a Facebook page set up recently which shows that, as of Feb. 3, almost 1,500 people will “attend” the party.
The annual celebration there begins with bars opening at 9 a.m. and tens of thousands of visitors packing the downtown area.
Councilman Nino Giacchi told a Feb. 2 council meeting that the city will enforce a zero-tolerance policy which could include jail for six months for offenders and fines for people up to $2,000 for offenses such as public drinking and public urination.
Giacchi stated that most of the problem was private house parties that spilled over and that jail sentences should be invoked for the worst offenders
He quoted the latest guidelines “When a party is deemed to be unreasonably reckless, disorderly, and unsafe, the renter or owner of the apartment or house will be charged with [maintaining a nuisance],” according to the guidelines from last year. Maximum penalties for the house parties are imprisonment of up to six months and fines not to exceed $1,000.”
Meanwhile, following the Holboken example, town leaders in Morristown New Jersey are also threatening a crackdown. Morristown council member Alison Deeb,has called for a "zero tolerance" policy for public drunkenness or urination, to deter anyone thinking of doing either.
Deeb cited Hoboken as an example of what can be acheived with zero tolerance.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.cillowen | Feb 11, 2011, 10:17 AM EST
st patrick - of a roman-celt origin whose day in celebration of his conversion of pagans falls flat with drunks puking and acting belligerent in his memory.
seagreen | Feb 11, 2011, 09:45 AM EST
St. Patrick's Day parades have become a humiliation to many Irish. Save a few, but get rid of the rest...
Countyred | Feb 10, 2011, 12:19 PM EST
Perhaps there is a Parade of Public Pee-ers in New Jersey or New York. Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg could be the Grand Marshall!
Countyred | Feb 10, 2011, 12:16 PM EST
Here in Somerville the parade is wonderful, and the local watering holes and restaurants really get into the spiritI've never seen rowdiness or offensive louts in the street. I see more of that in Bound Brook and Manville on an ordinary Saturday night. Every week the paper publishes the public police activities and there is an amazing list of people peeing in public! Are there no toilets in Bound Brook? Or no manners?
antoman | Feb 09, 2011, 09:29 AM EST
The law here in Ireland have it easy when it comes to Paddy's Day.We spend the rest of the year drinking anyway so when Paddy's Day rolls round its merely a case of drinking a tad more.
IrishJets47 | Feb 09, 2011, 09:10 AM EST
Been going to the St, Patrick Day Parade in Belmar NJ, since 1990 Not once that I seen any people getting out of hand maybe a few here and there but that all. I Used to go to the bars there like Pauls Tavern had some good time there playing bumper table with the Kennedy Boys and Bar A as well. My Sister lived in Belmar since 1988 - 89 near the train station of River Rd and 10th Ave, So now I just go down there with family member and friends and visit my sister and have some corn beer and cabbage after the parade and cold beer. So if you want to see a good parade Belmar the place to go I been to Seaside once didn't like not it not as big or nice than the parade in Balmar.
beano281 | Feb 08, 2011, 10:10 PM EST
MY husband and I march in the Seaside Heights Parade with our neighbors and have a lovely time. People should get out an march more..it's such and Irish ting to do.
KathleenBerrio | Feb 08, 2011, 09:33 PM EST
All the drunken morons aren't celebrating anything but being drunken morons.
peterson | Feb 08, 2011, 08:58 PM EST
Cheers !! (In moderation of course)
Ratslayer | Feb 08, 2011, 05:26 PM EST
Hey Mayor McDrunky, better saty in Jersey City this year unless yer willing to endure another election-year naked photo. LOL
CitizenWhy | Feb 08, 2011, 01:46 PM EST
It's about time.
jacersagain | Feb 08, 2011, 01:25 PM EST
I don’t see anything wrong or unusual with ridding the streets of drunks. The Irish police do exactly the same in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway etc. in the evening and late night of St. Patrick’s Day here. One American visitor I met told me she couldn’t sleep at all in her city centre hotel on SPD night for all wee-waw wee-waw sounds throughout the night! No, nothing unusual there, for St. Patrick’s Day/Night. The sensible ones go home for tea ard 6pm or go for a meal, staying off the streets. Besides, it's only for one day/night. What do New Yorkers do when Scottish people celebrate Tartan Week - for a whole drunken week!
emcdamage | Feb 08, 2011, 12:52 PM EST
If you're writing this from New York, I'm terrified that you don't know that it's Hoboken and not Holboken.
mcginleynj | Feb 08, 2011, 09:52 AM EST
i have been to the Morristown, NJ parade several times. In my opinion it is a very well organized parade,run well and a pleasure to attend! Remember it is a parade! Love it.