Politics & Government

BrooklynSpeaks Circulates Petition on Barclays Liquor License

The group is calling for a 10 p.m. cutoff time for all alcohol sales at the arena during all events.

Last call! Get your last beer!

In the latest development regarding Levy Restaurants' liquor license application, , BrooklynSpeaks created a petition that requests all alcoholic beverage sales be cut off at 10 p.m. at the absolute latest in all areas of the arena. 

"Barclays Center has applied for a license that would allow it to keep serving alcohol up to the 4 a.m. state limit in an 18,000-seat arena," the petition reads on BrooklynSpeaks' website. "Sure, the NBA has a policy that requires liquor sales to end after the third quarter. But basketball only accounts for 40 of the expected 220 events to be held at the arena each year. And Barclays’ application isn’t even limited to serving drinks at arena events. (Arena plans include four club/lounge areas.)"

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The group goes on to request that locals ask Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Liquor Authority to require alcohol sales end after half time at an NBA game, 45 minutes before the end of an event or 10 p.m.—whichever comes first. BrooklynSpeaks also asks for alcohol only to be sold during ticketed arena events.

Active sponsors of BrooklynSpeaks include The Park Slope Civic Council, The Boerum Hill Association, The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and The Brooklyn Heights Association, among others. 

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As of Wednesday, the petition had collected 900 signatures.

During a Community Board 6 meeting on Wednesday night Gib Veconi, who is a member of BrooklynSpeaks, said the group's request for a last call that ends six hours before the state legal limit is not a ridiculous one.

“Wrigley Field has a 9:30 p.m. cutoff during night games,” Veconi said, explaining that Levy Restaurants also runs the food and beverage program at the Chicago-based stadium. “I don’t think the people in Brooklyn deserve less respect than people in Chicago.”

However, during the Community Board 6 general board meeting on Wednesday, the board voted to approve an absolute cutoff time of 2 a.m. for alcohol sales at the Barclays Center. To read the full article about the vote, . 


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