MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee alders voted Friday to restore a 1 a.m. curfew for food trucks in the Water Street entertainment district, walking back a stricter 10 p.m. restriction that had been challenged in court.
The Public Safety and Health Committee unanimously approved the change to avoid a lengthy legal process after a food truck owner sued the city over the earlier curfew, which had been enacted in April to help control crowds downtown. The measure now goes to the full council for a vote. Under the restored curfew, food trucks would be required to close between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
The vote comes as city leaders and residents grapple with broader questions about the future of Water Street, which has faced long-time business closures, reckless driving, shootings, and other safety concerns in recent years.
District 4 Alder Bob Bauman said he believes the district's days in its current form are limited.
"I think the Water Street entertainment district is going to go away as we've known it and frankly, maybe that's a good thing. All it is is concentrated drinking and disorder," Bauman said.
Bauman also defended the food truck restrictions as a crowd-control measure.
"People keep saying food trucks are not the problem. They are the problem because they are the magnet for the people who assemble," Bauman said.
But residents and frequent visitors to the area say they are not ready to give up on Water Street.
"I don't think we should just let it die," Nicole Parmenter, who lives on Water Street, said.
Parmenter acknowledged the need to address violence but pushed back on the idea of abandoning the district altogether.
"I think Water Street's like a really fun place to go without the violence. So if we could like focus on reducing it rather than like trying to get rid of the Water Street scene," Parmenter said.
Milwaukee resident Chester Washington echoed that sentiment, pointing to the district's longstanding role in the community.
"This has always been a popular part of the city where, again, you can come out of the community and enjoy yourself," Washington said.
Washington also acknowledged the toll that crime has taken on the area.
"That's the that's the sad thing about it. There's a lot of places I done seen down here, and now they're leaving just because it's too much criminal activity, disrupting activity going on," Washington said.
In addition to the food truck curfew debate, the city has increased barriers and expanded police presence on Water Street in the evenings as part of its broader safety efforts.
Water Street resident Dhruv Weaver said he believes there is a path forward that does not require dismantling what makes the district appealing.
"I think there are ways to reduce violence without cutting down on what what draws people down here," Weaver said.
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