Minnesota's first social district faces enforcement debate

Social district rules under microscope

The first community in Minnesota to create a social district – allowing people to drink freely outdoors – is still sifting through ways to ensure safety, while keeping the drinks flowing. FOX 9’s Maury Glover has the details.

ANOKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Anoka’s social district is heading into its fourth year, but questions remain about how rules are enforced and what it means for local businesses.

Social district rules and concerns about enforcement

What we know:

The social district lets people buy alcoholic drinks from participating businesses and enjoy them in certain public spaces downtown from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but only in special designated cups.

Police say some people have been seen leaving bars with cups after hours, which breaks the city’s open container rules.

Chief Andy Youngquist of the Anoka Police Department said, "It's nothing we want to enforce. It's just kind of a forewarning that that's what we're gonna be looking for when the social district closes."

Officers will use compliance checks with plainclothes officers to spot violations, and businesses could get cited if alcohol leaves their premises outside of social district hours.

Jesse Hauf, owner of 10K Brewing, said, "The social district, I feel like, has been a huge success for Anoka as a whole."

However, Hauf noted that some people are still confused about the rules for taking drinks outside.

Business owners push for education over strict policing

Why you should care:

The way these rules are enforced could impact both customers and local businesses.

Hauf said, "It's important that these rule and these ordinances are there, but they should really only be enforced when it's an extreme case."

He is concerned about the idea of officers monitoring cups, saying, "I think it's too aggressive when you're talking about having police officers in plain clothes enforcing what type of cup a customer is using downtown. That's a little stuff too far."

Chief Youngquist said, "We're not a bunch of hammers looking for nails. We want people to comply and be a good participant of the social district and for us not to have to be the cup police or whatever it might be."

Hauf said his brewery will be limiting its participation in the social district because of these enforcement concerns.

The backstory:

Anoka was the first community in Minnesota to create a social district, aiming to boost downtown activity and business.

While the district has helped the bottom line for places like 10K Brewing, both police and business owners agree that clear communication and understanding of the rules are still a work in progress.