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Beale Street, Memphis. Would like info from anyone who lives around there.

pkbites

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We're going to Memphis on Friday and going to meet my cousin and his wife there who are going down from Milwaukee (we've been in Sarasota the last 2 weeks).

Haven't been to Memphis since '06. What's going on on Beale Street? The web says it's blocked off with metal detectors and such. WTF? Is it as bad as they say? Are all the establishments posted?

How are they blocking off a public road way?
 

Grapeshot

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We're going to Memphis on Friday and going to meet my cousin and his wife there who are going down from Milwaukee (we've been in Sarasota the last 2 weeks).

Haven't been to Memphis since '06. What's going on on Beale Street? The web says it's blocked off with metal detectors and such. WTF? Is it as bad as they say? Are all the establishments posted?

How are they blocking off a public road way?
You didn't provide a link for where you found the info.

Is it being blocked for a special event?
 

DeSchaine

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DOES BEALE STREET HAVE A CURFEW POLICY OR CODE OF CONDUCT?
Yes. After 9pm or during designated special events, patrons must be 21 years of age or older or be accompanied their legal parent or guardian. After 11pm, all patrons must be 21 years of age or older and possess a valid id. Knives, guns and other weapons are not allowed to be brought onto Beale Street and backpacks & bags are subject to search. (BealeStreet.com FAQ)

Beale Street is wholly and only privately owned then? Including sidewalks and such? If not, then under TCA 39-17-1314, they can take that rule and stick it.
 

Citizen

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You just gotta walk Beale the way Marc Cohn did it. :D

(Save John's bandwidth and click through to view it through YouTube.)

[video=youtube;KK5YGWS5H84]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK5YGWS5H84[/video]
 
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pkbites

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SoBro in Nashville is better in my view.

We did Nashville last summer.

I understand private businesses doing it, but how, are they preventing carry on a public road?

From the link:

*Officials said Wednesday that starting July 17th, no guns will be allowed on Beale Street.

*Police officers and private security guards will use handheld metal detectors to search patrons before allowing them inside the famous street's barricades.

*He says citizens with handguns should consider the barricaded street as one single, large establishment that does not allow guns.

Huh? :confused:
 

Grapeshot

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We did Nashville last summer.

I understand private businesses doing it, but how, are they preventing carry on a public road?

From the link:

*Officials said Wednesday that starting July 17th, no guns will be allowed on Beale Street.

*Police officers and private security guards will use handheld metal detectors to search patrons before allowing them inside the famous street's barricades.

*He says citizens with handguns should consider the barricaded street as one single, large establishment that does not allow guns.

Huh? :confused:
That is how it works. Same as renting another public facility for private use. It becomes their house = their rules.

Example: a church leases a public facility - they do not have to admit atheists nor members of other religions.......or gun carriers.

In this case, they are not restricting your use of a public right-of-way, only what you can take in with you.
 
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OC for ME

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The rea question is why any cop would enforce such a ridiculous command as to deny a LAC his ability to defend himself...or, maybe it's cuz all the adult beverages that could be around sober guns.
 

davidmcbeth

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That is how it works. Same as renting another public facility for private use. It becomes their house = their rules.

Example: a church leases a public facility - they do not have to admit atheists nor members of other religions.......or gun carriers.

In this case, they are not restricting your use of a public right-of-way, only what you can take in with you.

Rules are interesting. If they make demands that are directory or mandatory is the question.

I could state to people I allow on my property that they cannot wear fancy hats ... but if they did, I could not properly arrest them or claim that they are trespassing without more.

The rules were not posted so its impossible for me to say one way or the other at this point.
 

pkbites

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That is how it works. Same as renting another public facility for private use. It becomes their house = their rules.

Alright. But then how are they using government law enforcement to enforce those "rules"? If the area has been turned into private property shouldn't it only be private guards at the barricade?
 

Grapeshot

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Alright. But then how are they using government law enforcement to enforce those "rules"? If the area has been turned into private property shouldn't it only be private guards at the barricade?
The answer will rest in who actually prefers the charges in Tennessee - bet it is the peacekeepers/LEOs.

Maybe the department is paid/reimbursed for their time - though I doubt it.
 

BB62

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Here is a the story of a friend of mine. I wonder about the same thing he does. Are there any Tennesseans who can authoritatively speak on the matter?

*******
My wife and I visited Beale Street several years ago, 2013 I believe, and it appears this is the same situation we ran into. A little background; I’m a Missouri resident with a Florida CCW and it seems Tennessee laws are almost a mirror of Missouri laws, so I carried while there.

We were surprised to see the street “closed”, with security and wanding. One end had at least 4 or more lanes and long lines. We went to the other end of the street, found only 2 lanes and almost no lines. I had my “ID” out, my Florida permit, handed it to the guard and told him to “read it carefully and that I was carrying”. He looked at the ID, looked at me and asked “you have a gun”? I told him yes. He then asked if it were loaded. I told him “of course”. He said he didn’t know what to do, so I’d have to present this to a “regular” cop. Plenty around, so no problem finding one! Said the same words to the “regular” cop. He told the security guard there was “no problem”, and advised me to stay out of the bars with the firearm. They wanded me, even asked when alerted if that was the gun, and allowed me in.

My suggestion would be to try what I did. I didn’t care to spend a night in jail, so I wouldn’t have pushed it, though. All that said, we have a “street fest” here in downtown St Louis that they close the roads and check for these things. Never been to it, but the media says you aren’t allowed the same stuff like bottles, knives, guns or other weapons, etc. I’ve not challenged it, but I can’t understand how they can say a “public” street or sidewalk is suddenly not under the rules made for the rest of the state?


(my underline above)******

As an aside - it appears that the street is a public street, closed to vehicular traffic at times, not a rented/leased venue.
 

davidmcbeth

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If its a public street, why do you even go through a "checkpoint" .. and it appears to be a bunch of civilians doing it from what was posted.

Tell Pierre to take a long walk on a short pier.

I was recently at an actual private venue where a pimple faced kid wanted to wand me .... he was surprised to meet an American I guess. They did not boot me out.
 
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pkbites

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Got to Memphis on Friday. Got our hotel which was just on the next block from Beale Street.

No blockades or metal detectors. But a zillion police officers on both ends of the block, plus lots of armed private security. Every bar was posted no carry.

Police officer told me that after about 11pm the businesses there rent the street from the city so therefore it becomes private property. And sure enough, a little past eleven the barricades went up and they started wanding everybody. They also were charging a fee to get in if you weren't already inside the fenced area of the street when the barricades went up. When my cousin asked if there was any exceptions on the street (not inside the buildings) for licensed carry he was rudely told to read the signs they had up. Nobody past the barricades with firearms. When we asked if there were any exceptions for off duty LEOs we were also told NO in a loud voice. "don't matter who you is. No guns". We did see some open carry on Main and Union streets.

Same scenario on Saturday & Sunday nights. However on those nights we had all drank far more than our share and wouldn't have been carrying anyway.

Spent the daytimes riding steam boats and getting ripped off by the dead hillbilly. All that touristy fluff. Ate in some very good restaurants. All in all a decent time.

Except on Sunday morning my cousin got hit by a car. He's a bit banged up but he'll be alright. But the woman that also got hit might not be. Could of done without that incident!
 
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KBCraig

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That is how it works. Same as renting another public facility for private use. It becomes their house = their rules.

Example: a church leases a public facility - they do not have to admit atheists nor members of other religions.......or gun carriers.

In this case, they are not restricting your use of a public right-of-way, only what you can take in with you.

That's one area of law where Texas has most states beat (and please note that I'm no champion for Texas, having shaken the dust from my feet and moved to New Hampshire).

In Texas, any public property rented for private use cannot have any restrictions that it couldn't have while under government control. The legal reasoning is sound: a lessor cannot transfer to the lessee any rights the lessor does not have.
 

DrMark

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Police officer told me that after about 11pm the businesses there rent the street from the city so therefore it becomes private property. And sure enough, a little past eleven the barricades went up and they started wanding everybody. They also were charging a fee to get in if you weren't already inside the fenced area of the street when the barricades went up.
So there are likely armed citizens on the street who arrive before 11 PM and remain within the sector after the barriers go up?

Or am I missing something?
 

solus

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Got to Memphis on Friday. Got our hotel which was just on the next block from Beale Street.

No blockades or metal detectors. But a zillion police officers on both ends of the block, plus lots of armed private security. Every bar was posted no carry.

Police officer told me that after about 11pm the businesses there rent the street from the city so therefore it becomes private property. And sure enough, a little past eleven the barricades went up and they started wanding everybody. They also were charging a fee to get in if you weren't already inside the fenced area of the street when the barricades went up. When my cousin asked if there was any exceptions on the street (not inside the buildings) for licensed carry he was rudely told to read the signs they had up. Nobody past the barricades with firearms. When we asked if there were any exceptions for off duty LEOs we were also told NO in a loud voice. "don't matter who you is. No guns". We did see some open carry on Main and Union streets.

snipp

of course, the nice LE wouldn't lie to citizens barfing up the same lie they were told by their superiors to keep the money flowing to the union and nice LE(s) working overtime...

how on earth do you rent public street? anybody from the Volunteer state know how much and where the money goes?

sorry to hear you were regaled to normal citizens during your visit...tough amongst the peasants eh?

hope your cousin is on the mend...

ipse
 

pkbites

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of course, the nice LE wouldn't lie to citizens barfing up the same lie they were told by their superiors to keep the money flowing to the union and nice LE(s) working overtime...

It wasn't a cop that told us nobody gets in with weapons, it was one of the private guards running the metal detectors.
I'm sure before the barricades were up there were people carrying on the street but all the bars are posted.
Other than Friday we wouldn't have been carrying anyway. We were on a party, man.




hope your cousin is on the mend...

He'll be alright, but I guess the woman who also got hit was pretty bad. They were both crossing the street from different directions at a light controlled intersection. A car made a right turn on red without stopping first, striking the woman in the cross walk. He then threw the car into reverse and backed into Bill who was in the other crosswalk. He had road rash and bruises and was sore, but he'll recover.

ETA: outside of Beale Street we did see about a total of 8 or 9 OCers over the weekend. that's more than I'll see in half a year in Milwaukee.
 
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utbob2004

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Beale Street

This isn't like any normal public street in Memphis after about 11 PM. This is the only 4 block strip in the City of Memphis that patrons are allowed to walk around with open containers of alcohol. The Beale street merchants association hires private security along with the Memphis police Department to conduct a security checkpoint at the blocked off sections of the street. If I remember correctly, there is only one or two of the main bars that don't have the "gun buster sign".

I have lived in Memphis for most of my 30 years on this earth and have been carrying a gun here for 9. The best time to see Beale street is in the middle of the day during the week. There isn't much blues anymore, just a bunch of clubs attracting that sort of crowd with a bunch of pain handlers. Nashville downtown is nicer but you can't carry around your adult beverage around with you. We have had a few high profile shootings near Beale Street in the last 2 years but I avoid the area when I can. I only take family and friends when they come in from out of town if they have never been there before. If you've seen it once, save the time, cover charges, parking prices, and go see the other sights of my city. I honestly like the Cooper-young and Overton Square areas better anyways. Better food and more true Memphians, not all the tourist of Beale Street
 
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utbob2004

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