Speaking of bloody noses, Speed Street will be shutting down the city this weekend. In case you're unaware of my arrest history, this is the weekend I got thrown in jail, unfairly I might add, for getting attacked by drunken idiots. (I probably wouldn't mention this if the charges hadn't been so easily dismissed.)
In other words, don't expect a regular weekend in uptown Charlotte, especially at night. Trade Street will be blocked off and full of people wearing sleeveless shirts and Dale Jr. hats, and a lot of these people will be very drunk.But the real worry is the police, who get extremely aggressive and arrest-happy during big uptown events like this. My own incident aside, 169 people were arrested on the Fourth of July last year, and hundreds more likely bullied into saying "yes sir" for minor offenses. One thing I learned the hard way is that to accommodate the personnel demands that come with turning center city into a police state, the county brings in a good portion of its reserves, or cops with no cars or clue and a frightening determination to assert their authori-tah.
When I told the other people in my holding cell last year that I had been arrested at Speed Street, the ones who hadn't also been arrested at Speed Street laughed at me. Apparently, it's common knowledge, at least among the regular jail crowd, that you don't go uptown during big events unless you're looking for trouble.
That being said, I'll be heading uptown this weekend, though turning and running from any potential altercations. It's nice to see people wearing ripped jeans and oversized belt buckles in places like Ri Ra's. And who can pass up a free concert featuring a Kiss tribute band on the "Budweiser Stage"?
Here's the event schedule. And here's some help for the impending traffic problems.
Good luck.
1 comment:
Yo Giglio, I was out at Speed Street last night with a friend. Jagged Edge had just finished performing when two girls next to us started arguing and cussing each other out. I told my friend it was time to go.
I said: "The later it gets, the drunker people become, and the more likely they are to fight. As a matter of fact, a guy who writes for Charlotte magazine wrote a story a few months ago recapping his first year in Charlotte. In the story he tells how he got BEAT UP at Speed Street. It's a funny story. I'll send you the link."
Then when we got to the light rail stop and were waiting for the train, a drunk guy tried to start a fight with a civil guy. The drunk guy was wearing a T-shirt that read: Redneck Rafter. I kid you not.
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