Sign the Petition to Allow 18-Year-Olds Into Shreveport Bars and Night Clubs [OPINION]

If you're an 18-year-old in Shreveport, you can pretty much do anything... Except get into bars and night clubs. It's time to change that.

It is still borderline ludicrous to me that an 18-year-old can get a tattoo, smoke a cigarette (although they shouldn't), and enlist in the military, but can't go out and enjoy a night on the town. These are adults we're talking about, not kids, who make adult decisions daily. These are tax-paying citizens. These are individuals who work full-time, or go to school full-time, and some of them do both. Why on Earth can these ADULTS do everything an ADULT has to do, but can't go to the Sandbar on a Saturday night to play Mario Kart?

Also, take into account the fact that these 18-year-olds can literally drive forty minutes in any direction and be allowed entrance into a bar or a night club. Why is Shreveport-Bossier so behind on this?

Our local officials are actually spending time debating a Blue Law from ancient times to allow bars to sell alcohol on Sundays, which honestly wouldn't change much, but refusing to at least acknowledge that we're ourselves back by not allowing 18-year-olds in at all.

I can tell you, wholeheartedly, that if 18-year-olds are allowed in, you would see an instant boost to all bars and clubs in town. Instantly. Thursday nights would go from non-existent to worth-while. Instantly.

Anyone that has worked in or around the nightlife industry knows that downtown Shreveport's nightlife isn't anything like it was just five years ago. The numbers are down across the board, and allowing these ADULTS in would immediately help things.

Some people in this town spend countless hours debating why students are leaving town after high school. I'm not saying that allowing them into bars and clubs will 100% solve that problem, but it absolutely can't hurt. Right now, these ADULTS are stuck on the outside looking in until they turn 21. Why would anyone expect them to wait around when they can literally go just about anywhere else in the country and be allowed to enjoy themselves on the weekend.

If you feel like I feel, I strongly encourage you to click HERE to sign a petition to let 18-year-olds into bars and night clubs in Shreveport. With enough support, we can get the attention of those in power, and hopefully bring this much-needed change to the Ark-La-Tex.

[18UpShreveport]