Published: 1 years 226 days ago
Sacramento Bee: Second Saturday – beloved by some and loathed by others – is back this weekend, only with ramped-up police presence and an end time set at a half hour earlier.
Because a 24-year-old Sacramento City College student was killed in gang crossfire two hours after the close of last month's Second Saturday, city leaders have enacted a plan to save the art-walk-turned-street-fair while staving off chances of a repeat act of violence.
"What's great is the community has come together and said, 'We need to preserve this,' " said R.E. Graswich, special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson. "This is too valuable to be beaten down by the criminal element."
Second Saturday will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 9:30 p.m., to give police more time to clear the streets as well as offer parents more flexibility in picking up their children before the 10 p.m. curfew for minors, said city spokeswoman Amy Williams.
A four-way stop will be instituted for traffic at the intersection of K and 20th streets, and 20th between J and K streets will remain open to vehicles to prevent congregating crowds, Williams said.
Without revealing specifics, Williams said there would be more police on foot, bikes and horses. Alcohol laws will be strictly enforced, she said.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/08/3088541/second-sat-a-day-away.html#ixzz11mnv4Km8
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