I agree with Metro Council Member Erica Gilmore that a ban on single-beer sales in Nashville’s “urban core” is probably a good idea:

“I think we have a better grasp of how to deal with it,” Gilmore said. “Just traveling to Denver, it was really clean. It was really amazing actually. You think, ‘When I walk downtown, I wish our downtown could be like this.’” Gilmore believes single item beer sales contribute to vagrants loitering around downtown and leads to littering. “You have people loitering round, hanging around with bottles, it does not look attractive,” Gilmore said.

I don’t believe, however, that this is a comprehensive solution for vagrancy, littering or homelessness. Did Gilmore talk to anyone in Denver government, or did she just witness the cleanliness of a city hosting one of the most significant events in its entire history? I’m sure that downtown Denver was practically spotless, and downtown Nashville likely will be when it hosts a presidential debate next month. I’d like to know what Denver public officials have done to make their downtown area cleaner. I’d also like to know whether it is typically clean or whether it was merely especially tidy because of the Democratic Convention.

Reduced access for people who are abusing alcohol, including people who are homeless, can’t hurt. It won’t stop everyone, but it is one more layer of deterrent. Does anyone who does not have a substance-abuse problem urgently need to buy only one beer while they are downtown? If they need one single beer that badly, couldn’t they plan ahead or head to the suburbs? I think this legislation can be effective, if approached reasonably, but it won’t do what would help people who are homeless: Help them secure housing and learn the life and career skills needed to hold jobs and earn better wages.