Providence officials heard nearly three hours of public testimony related to a series of proposed ordinances suggested in response to a recent spate of violence at city nightclubs.
Several nightclub and bar owners testified at the city council's Public Safety Committee hearing Wednesday night, expressing their concerns that the ordinances were too extreme and would end up hurting their businesses.
The ordinances would require establishments that stay open until 2 a.m. to install surveillance systems, place new regulations on nightclub operations and implement a definition of "nightclub."
Many business owners said they're worried about the added cost of purchasing and maintaining these systems as well as potentially invading their customers' privacy.
The Providence City Council passed a resolution in September to review the Board of Licenses and address safety issues after a triple stabbing at Noah Lounge, a shooting at the nightclub Flow and a stabbing near the Rooftop at the Providence G.
