Another Downtown Naperville Alcohol-fueled Street Brawl

There was a time, not that long ago, when any type of disturbance in downtown Naperville was a major event. Not anymore. Now it’s becoming commonplace. Naperville residents, for the most part, are no longer surprised.

It happened again, when four men were arrested and charged with a variety of offenses including, fighting, battery, resisting a police officer, and disorderly conduct. The mayhem occurred just before 2:00am Sunday October 27 near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Washington Street, when allegedly one of the street brawlers shoved a woman whose daughter then came to help her mother, and the same person allegedly pushed the younger woman into the southbound lanes of Washington street and she fell and landed on her back. One Naperville police officer was apparently elbowed in the face during the fracas, and a Taser had to be used to gain control of the situation.

Unfortunately worse things have happened recently in downtown Naperville, and at an alarming higher frequency. The result of this, is that residents are becoming desensitized to this type of news. It’s no longer unusual. More and more residents are choosing to go elsewhere than downtown Naperville at night, and especially on weekends. Non-residents are filling the void, so tax dollars are rolling in, and the city benefits.

Naperville city officials have yet to get a handle on this problem, and it’s because they don’t see it as a problem. Liquor licenses continue to increase and high-density projects continue to be a priority.

Half the solution to a problem is the awareness that a problem exists. Naperville city officials are not there yet. Until then, it might be a wise council decision to order more Tasers and distribute them to Naperville families when they venture downtown on weekend nights.