June 11, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Busted in Palo Alto

A first-person commentary by Robyn Israel

W hen it comes to nightlife, Palo Alto isn't exactly San Francisco.

Let's face it -- downtown more or less shuts down by 10 p.m. -- even on the weekend. Good luck trying to find a restaurant still open at midnight. On a Friday or Saturday, you'll typically find people on University Avenue going out for dinner or a movie (or both) -- a mostly sedate crowd that makes it home by a decent hour.

You'll see the same sort of people frequenting the First Friday Art Walk, a monthly event in which local downtown galleries open their doors to the public. It's a fun, free event designed to unite the galleries, bring the community together and celebrate new art works.

In addition to exhibiting art work, the venues -- Pacific Art League, Bryant Street Gallery, VOSHAN Fine Arts Gallery, Art21, Torrefazione Italia Cafe and Meadowlark Gallery -- also serve complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres. A couple places (Art21, Pacific Art League) also provide live musical entertainment. It's the typical scene you'll see at any opening-night reception: People congregate, enjoy the art works, relax after a day's work and generally have a good time. It's all very civilized and the event is usually over by 9 p.m.

This serene atmosphere was rudely interrupted on June 4, when three agents from the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control raided the Pacific Art League, Art21, Meadowlark Gallery and Torrefazione Italia Cafe. The officials seized their alcoholic beverages and proceeded to cite Claudia Morgan, executive director of the Pacific Art League; Brian Bacher, manager of Torrefazione Italia Cafe; Susan Kraft, owner of Art 21; and Mary Hutchinson, Sue Abrams and Hardin Abrams, the manager and owners, respectively, of Meadowlark Gallery. The charge is a misdemeanor, requiring all of the aforementioned to present themselves in court in August.

(Voshan decided to forego serving wine that night, while Morgan managed to alert Bryant Street Gallery in time, before the agents could raid them as well.)

"It's a little scary to those of us who've been cited, as they were personal citations, not against the organizations," Morgan told me via e-mail.

The most disturbing thing about this whole fiasco is how the local gallery directors and owners were allegedly treated by the authorities. Rude and aggressive in getting their message across, they left nasty impressions on Morgan, Kraft and Hutchinson.

"One of them told me, 'You're a criminal!" Kraft said. "You'd think I was stealing children from kindergarten."

A woman agent, Summer Robinson, told Hutchinson, "We're going to get you all."

Morgan said two agents in particular were extremely aggressive and intimidating.

You'd think these galleries were giving out free cocaine, the way these agents behaved.

As it turns out, Morgan was contacted by the Alcoholic Beverage Control in late March, informing her that she could not serve wine without a permit. Morgan was then told by the Palo Alto Police Department that no permit was needed, since the event was on private property, and alcohol was not being sold.

Morgan put her trust in the local police department, which unfortunately gave her erroneous information. Long story short, the galleries will need to acquire permits in order to continue serving wine at their receptions. Morgan, for one, intends to get the permit in time for the League's next reception, which takes place tonight.

At the heart of this mess is one disgruntled local citizen, who apparently complained to the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control. I can't figure out what s/he was so unhappy about. I have done the art walk, and found it to be a very subdued gathering. There was really nothing wild about it -- no drunks loitering in the street, no raucous noises emanating from the galleries, absolutely no debauchery whatsoever to speak of. In typical Palo Alto fashion, it was all very polite and sophisticated.

"Businesses are what keep communities alive," Hutchinson said. "This (walk) is very positive -- it's all about the exchange of human abilities."

But one rotten apple had to go tattletale, setting in motion the events that unfolded last Friday. Fear not, Weekly readers, the First Friday Art Walk will continue to go on, as scheduled, and wine will once again be served as part of the celebration -- at least at the Pacific Art League. But some galleries are now less inclined to serve alcohol at their receptions. Karen Imperial, owner of Bryant Street Gallery, said it's not worth the trouble, and she will only be offering non-alcoholic beverages in the future. Meadowlark Gallery, VOSHAN Fine Arts Gallery, Torrefazione Italia Cafe and Art21 are still considering their options.

Hopefully the absence of wine will not deter people from participating in the Art Walk. I encourage our readers to get out there and help support our local galleries -- you may be surprised to learn that you can actually enjoy a free night of entertainment in downtown Palo Alto.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.