NYC nightlife: City officials launch new safety protocols for clubs

The city’s Office of Night Life, elected officials and others will join the mitigation efforts.

Katelynn Ulrich and Adolfo Carrion

Dec 28, 2023, 10:30 PM

Updated 360 days ago

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The Adams administration is launching CURE – a new initiative that aims to change the way laws and security are enforced for New York City nightlife.  
Clubs can suddenly become the scene of a multiagency inspection, but CURE is hoping to put that to a stop. Many of these inspections were due to responses to the Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots (MARCH) program, which would bring surprise visits to venues that were reported multiple times.  
MARCH was established under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, but Mayor Eric Adams and his supporters think it doesn’t do much good.  
"It feels close to an FBI raid than it does to a routine inspection of any sort,” says club owner John Barclay.  
CURE, which stands for Coordinating a United Resolution with Establishments, is intended to function as a remedy to MARCH. Instead of multiagency inspections after issues are reported, owners will connect with city resources to fix the reoccurring issues before enforcement.  
The city says that fewer potential inspections will mean less disruption for customers.  
“Implement a CURE process [will] put emphasis on mutual respect, communication, remediation and an opportunity to cure rather than going for enforcement first,” said Adams. “They think you're like trafficking arms and hiding El Chapo and then they find out it's over something comparatively small." 
The NYPD says owners will be given 30 days to fix a problem. The city’s Office of Night Life, elected officials and others will join the mitigation efforts.