Discordant note on beachfront Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/20/07 Post Comment James C. Morrison, 25, survived a tour in Iraq. But he didn't survive a hard-core music club on Asbury Park's beachfront.
City officials must take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the fate that befell Morrison, a Navy veteran from Bass River found dead outside Club Deep six days ago, is never repeated. On Thursday, club owner AP Ventures Holding announced Club Deep would be closing for the winter for renovations. The city and Asbury Partners, the city's beachfront redeveloper, must decide if it's in anyone's best interest for the hard-core music club to reopen at all on the boardwalk or anywhere in the redevelopment area. And the city must tighten the security protocols for its music venues. Morrison was struck twice in a brawl inside Club Deep before the patrons involved were ejected from the club, his family was told. Police responding to a call found Morrison unconscious outside the club, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital soon afterward. Although hard-core music fans say their music doesn't draw violent crowds, evidence suggests it can attract a violent element. Close monitoring of venues like Club Deep by city officials is not only appropriate, but imperative. The fact Club Deep has a relationship with Asbury Partners shouldn't cloud the city's judgment if it reopens, even if solutions such as requiring off-duty police security might affect Asbury Partners' bottom line. A more famous Jim Morrison, of the Doors, who also died tragically too young, is quoted as having said, "Violence isn't always evil. What's evil is the infatuation with violence." Asbury Park and music have a long, rich history. Music will continue to play an important role in the city's beachfront redevelopment. City officials and the beachfront's redevelopers must make certain the music venues present and future do nothing to undermine Asbury Park's efforts to restore its lost luster. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/