Happy Hour: Now You Can Drink on the Streets of Manhattan

According to an article by Jillian Jorgensen, "the NYPD will no longer arrest most people who are caught drinking alcohol in public in Manhattan…"

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced the news, with additional detail as follows:

Unless it’s 'necessary for public safety reasons,' the NYPD will no longer arrest people for certain low-level offenses in Manhattan, including public consumption of alcohol, public urination, littering and riding between subway cars or taking up more than one subway seat—and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. will no longer prosecute those infractions…

Jorgensen provides additional insight into the reasoning behind the policy change, which is meant to lessen the burden on the criminal justice system presented by low-level crimes. 

Alissa Walker picked up on the news for Gizmodo, arguing in favor of the change. Walker notes that only a few cities allow public drinking in the United States, while the rest of the United States is "puritanical to a fault." Meanwhile, "Great cities around the world allow residents and visitors to freely imbibe at parks and on beaches. And they’re better places for it."