Most people who frequent State Street have experienced moments they wish could be forgotten. These inebriated adventures inevitably spill out into the streets when closing time comes around, and many are left stumbling down the street desperately trying to find a cab. In between them and a $3-ride home are the Binghamton Police Department, waiting impatiently.
But what are they waiting for?
Apart from the obvious infractions, such as fighting, there are some other, less drastic violations one can make on State Street. One violation that is particularly easy to make after a night of drinking is an open container violation.
“Generally it is not a huge problem,” said Captain David Eggleston, who handles Internal Affairs for Binghamton Police Department. “I think the officers do a good job addressing it when it happens.”
Most of the time it is hard for the alcohol to even leave the bar; most bars have security watching who enters and leaves all night.
“The bars are pretty good about not letting kids take alcohol outside,” said Eggleston.
Anthony Basti, known as Uncle Tony, of State Street’s Uncle Tony’s certainly agrees.
“Security at Uncle Tony’s does a fine job of keeping kids from leaving the premises with alcohol,” he said. He added that open container violations are rare and too impractical to enforce on most occasions.
“On [Bar] Crawl they would have to arrest 3,000 kids,” he said.
The penalties for violating city ordinance 14-38 can be up to 15 days imprisonment, though, in practice, jail times are rarely given out.
“Usually all it entails is a fine,” said Eggleston.
Another problem that can arise during a drunken excursion is extreme intoxication.
“If somebody is intoxicated to the point where they can’t care for themselves we can take them to the hospital under a mental health ordinance,” explained Eggleston. “Throwing up alone will not get you arrested.”
Throwing up while in a bar is a different matter, and usually becomes a matter of the owner’s discretion.
“There’s no excuse for it,” Basti said. “There’s three doors, go outside.”
“I’d rather have a guy punch me in the mouth than throw up in my bar,” he added.
However, Uncle Tony said, throwing up in his bar is hardly ever a problem.
“It’s always that one guy who can’t hold his booze,” he said. “It happens in every crowd, whether it be college kids or 60-year-olds.”
When asked what advice he can offer to students, Basti suggested abstaining from alcohol altogether. “If you can’t handle it, don’t drink it.”
With recent rising tensions between Bearcats and Binghamton residents, one concern is the number of inebriated students Downtown on weekends. For Basti, however, a friendly relationship with students has never been a problem; he believes that the vast majority are well-mannered.
“My relationship with them is second to none,” he said.