So much for those peaceful weekends, now that the college kids are back in town...
Within a 10 minute span, two large fights broke out in the East Side of the borough early Sunday morning. At approximately 02:10, the first fight broke out to the rear of Baxter's (surprise, surprise) on the 50 block of Cedar Alley. Upon arrival, police reported a white male approximately 6-feet tall, weighing approximately 200 pounds and wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with blue stripes fled from the scene, and was last seen heading eastbound on the 50 block of E Miner St where he reportedly cut through a lawn. At that point, police lost sight of the actor. The victim was transported by GFAC and Medic 91 to Crozer-Chester Medical Center as a trauma transport (as opposed to being transported to CCH).
About 10 minutes later, a report of a 2nd fight taking place in the area of Ramsgate Apartments at E Nields and S Franklin was called in. Upon arrival, a black male dressed in all black ran from police and was apprehened a few minutes later near the railroad tracks adjacent to the West Chester Area Day Care Center. Meanwhile, the unruly crowd which incited the fight at Ramsgate fracas required an officer assist from West Goshen as most of the borough units were still tied up searching for the actor from the Baxter's incident.
Amazingly enough, the Baxter's incident wasn't the first reported assault at the local watering holes this year. Last weekend, GFAC was hit out for a report of a 23-year-old female who claimed she injured her ankle after a bouncer at 15 North was overly aggressive in attempting to remove her from the bar. Apparently, the police didn't buy her story as she was later cited for disorderly conduct and public intoxication (though, considering this is 15 North we're talking about, nothing would be surprising).
And now, there's word that fresh off the heels of Limoncello Ristorante being granted a liquor license for it's restaurant at 7-9 N Walnut St - which for a fine dining establishment, is placed in possibly the worst location in town - that yet another restaurant wants to bring a liquor license into the borough. Bar Blue II (please don't ask me about the original "Bar Blue", because I've never heard of them, and the only reference to a "Bar Blue" restaurant in the area is in King of Prussia - allegedly) wants to open a location in West Chester at 142 E Market St. This location would put it right next to the equivelant of hell on a weekend night - sandwiched between the Market and Walnut corner that's typically at the center of the unrulyness (Baxter's, 15 North, and Coyote Crossing) and the Star Social Club, where a violent assault took place several weeks ago (again, requiring an officer assist from West Goshen).
Add to that the planned opening of the Landmark Americana sports bar at Gay and Darlington in a few months and the prospective opening of Barnaby's (yup, another sports bar) at the former Turks Head Inn at 15 S Walnut St, and suffice to say that things could very well get dicey. This, of course, is thanks to the fact that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board doesn't exactly give municipalities much leeway in approving or denying new licesnes from coming into town.
Mind you, this is the same LCB that recently hired a political hack from Bucks County to fill a "newly created CEO" position over the objections of Jonathan Newman, who resigned as chair of the LCB in protest. This is also coming from the same state government that recently allowed for the new casinos/slot parlors to offer free drinks to gamblers, and recently made it easier for liquor licensees from Philadelphia to transfer licenses to developing sububran areas (West Whiteland, East Whiteland, New Garden, and other townships better be wary).
In any case, if these two new sports bars both open before the end of the semester, I have a feeling that tonight's pair of melees could pale in comparison ... and that police will probably be sadly overmatched.
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