11/18/2014
By Ivan Pereira
A City Councilman urged Bushwick bar owners Tuesday to ban Santa from creating a mess in the neighborhood this holiday.
Councilman Rafael Espinal Jr. said SantaCon, the annual pub crawl that attracts crowds of partygoers decked out in Santa Claus outfits, has grown out of control and disrupted the businesses and residents of other neighborhoods in the past years. He called on bars in his district not to participate in the crawl.
“I think I speak for many of my constituents and bar patrons when I say we’re not ready for a ‘Santification’ of Bushwick,” he said in a statement.
Organizers for the annual event couldn’t be reached for comment. On the SantaCon website, the planners called on participants to respect the neighborhoods and not get too drunk, however there were several reported drunken altercations and mishaps during last year’s event in Manhattan.
Espinal said he respected the event’s goal of helping local businesses, but added, “I think it’s safe to say Bushwick is doing well without it.”
