Tuscaloosa Public Safety Director Discusses Decision To Close The Strip After A-Day

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa public safety officials said a surge of young people, including juveniles, and early signs of disorder prompted the early closure of the Strip following the A-Day game on Saturday.

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As Patch previously reported, the decision was made to close the Strip just before 6 p.m. when the Tuscaloosa Police Department directed pedestrians to either enter open businesses or leave the area.

City of Tuscaloosa Executive Director of Public Safety Brent Blankley told Patch there were no issues in Bryant-Denny Stadium during the game but conditions in the entertainment district changed rapidly once the event ended.

“We didn’t have any problems around town during A-Day,” Blankley said. “It was after A-Day ended that we started seeing a large influx into the Strip. With people dumping into the Strip, we knew it wouldn’t be long before it was completely overcrowded, and it was going to be extremely hard to manage and keep everybody safe based on the behaviors that we were seeing already this early into the night."

Blankley described the crowds as noticeably young, with officers encountering juveniles as young as 13 and 14 in the entertainment district.

He said many of these juveniles were local and dropped off by parents.

“In 20 years of law enforcement, this is the youngest crowd I’ve ever seen come to the Strip,” he said.

Rather than patronizing bars, Blankley said many gathered along sidewalks and refused to follow officers’ directions to keep moving. He went on to say fights began breaking out in and around the Strip, further escalating safety concerns.

City officials ultimately made the decision to shut down the area around 5:50 p.m. due to the overcrowding.

“We could tell by the fights that were starting to break out that it was going to get out of control,” Blankley said. “We didn't want to get to that point. So we made the decision to go ahead and close the Strip. All the bars that currently had people inside were allowed to continue to operate, but the queue area of the Strip was closed."

Blankley said juveniles and out-of-town visitors contributed to the large unruly crowd, with some arrests involving individuals from cities including Birmingham and Montgomery.

However, he noted many of the underage individuals were from the Tuscaloosa area.

He also said between TPD and the University of Alabama Police Department, roughly 20 arrests were made between 3 p.m. and midnight just in the area of the Strip.

“I can’t imagine what the numbers would have been if the Strip remained open,” Blankley said.

Looking ahead, Blankley said preventing similar situations remains a challenge, particularly with large crowds traveling into the city for major events.

He then emphasized that parental awareness could help make sure this doesn't happen again.

“I wish parents wouldn’t let their kids go down to a bar entertainment area on these heavy traffic days,” he said.

Here's a breakdown of TPD arrests from the Strip:

• 1 - Failure to Appear (adult)
• 1 - Disorderly Conduct (juvenile)
• 1 - Possession of Marijuana II / Obstructing & 1 gun recovered (adult)
• 1 - Disorderly Conduct (adult)
• 1 - Disorderly Conduct (juvenile)
• 1 - Harassment & Resisting Arrest (juvenile)
• 1 - Minor in Possession of Tobacco (adult)
• 1 - Disorderly Conduct (adult)
• 1 - Possession of Marijuana II (adult)
• 1 - Attempting to Elude/Public Intoxication (adult)
• 1 - Disorderly Conduct (adult)

Here's a breakdown of UAPD arrests:

• 3 - Disorderly Conduct (all juveniles)
• 2 - Possession of Marijuana II (adult)
• 1 - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (adult)
• 1 - Certain Persons Forbidden (gun - juvenile)
• 1 - Domestic Violence Harassment (adult)

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