Walnut Creek bar owners discuss plans to reduce street violence

Monday was quiet in downtown Walnut Creek, but closer to the weekend, police are stepping up patrols to stop what they called "increasing violence."

Bar owners tell KTVU they're taking steps to police themselves.

The owners and management of about a dozen bars and lounges were sending a message to their trouble-making patrons: the drunken brawling needs to stop.

It was a little more than a week ago when police arrested two men for assault with a deadly weapon inside a Walnut Creek parking garage. Surveillance video captured one of three different brawls that weekend.

It ended with two people in the hospital, 9 arrests and 3 injured officers.

Lafayette resident Aline Mathews said she doesn't want to go where there might be violence.

"I might be hurt," said Mathews.

Bar and lounge owners agreed, but insisted that the city touting itself as a place to "escape the ordinary" doesn't have these problems ordinarily.

Patsy Wilkinson is the owner of local institution Crogan's Sports Bar & Grill.

"It's a wonderful place. We've got all kinds of businesses coming in, so we know that it's not really a major problem," explained Wilkinson.

Still, businesses were being proactive by posting new "zero tolerance" signs. They also agreed to all meet once a month to discuss any issues

Jon Crovo, the owner of Club 1220, said the club owners are taking it a step further. They promised to "make sure each of our organizations are using proper promoters and playing the right music with the proper dress codes. And we're making sure that everything on our end of the line is good."

The group said they've invited city leaders and the police to a meeting Tuesday morning. They hope to get the city on board with the ideas without having to resort to reduced hours of operation.