SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -
The party is just getting started in Scottsdale on Friday night; the problem is some neighbors say they see violence, misbehavior and wake up to graffiti on Saturday morning. Police say they're doing their best. We stayed out late last Friday night to see it for ourselves.
"Maybe it was a fairytale, but we lived in relative peace and security here for years," said Bill Crawford, who lives and works in the area now known as the Scottsdale Entertainment District. We're talking about the area bordered by Camelback Road, Indian School Road, Scottsdale Road and Miller Road. He says the bustling nightlife comes at a price that he and his neighbors have to pay.
"We were here first, we have established residential communities that are at risk," Crawford said.
To start, Crawford said they can't even hear themselves think on the weekends. He added that a 2010 noise ordinance isn't far-reaching enough because it only applies to residential areas - not mixed-use neighborhoods like his own.
"Anyone who is likely to be a victim of the noise doesn't have any rights to complain," Crawford said.
"It shouldn't be this difficult," said D'Lisa Ledgewood, owner of D'Shayn Salon in the heart of the district. For her, the problem is the trash and graffiti she finds when she comes to work on Sunday.
"Lots of vomit, human feces, urination, and blood," she said, describing the things she sees. But they say the biggest problem comes at closing time, when thousands of people fill the streets. And Scottsdale police agree.
"You have thousands of people leaving the bars at once, so if you mix that with alcohol you're going to have some problems," said Sergeant Mark Clark with Scottsdale Police.
On our tour, police seemed to have a good handle on the crowds. The next night, Crawford took some video after he says several fights broke out. In the video, you can see a bike cop ride to the scene, and then and a girl falls to the ground. What isn't clear is if someone pushed her. Police couldn't give us the details of this incident, but told us it appears the girl was interfering with an arrest.
"I can tell you the officers are maintaining the standards the community wants," Sergeant Clark said.
Crawford says he and his neighbors are tired of the noise, the trash, and, most importantly, the police reports.
"We're seeing crime which is the most important thing, public safety is definitely at risk," Crawford said. Scottsdale police said last year they arrested about 7,100 people in the entertainment district, and 2,500 of those arrest were for what's known as order maintenance, things like littering and public urination.
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