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A popular entertainment district in Texas just got a brand new set of rules — and one of them involves alcohol.
The Fort Worth City Council approved a ban of open containers in Fort Worth's West 7th district, according to WFAA. The unanimous ban is the first rule in the district against open containers. The West 7th area includes Montgomery Plaza, Crockett Row and the area between University Drive and Carroll Street.
If you're caught with an open container in this area, you could face a fine of up to $500 and a citation for a Class C misdemeanor.
"We believe in large part a lot of underage folks that can't get into the establishments. And so, they mill around the area with open containers that they brought from another location. The West 7th district is one of the top producers in alcohol sales statewide pretty consistently," councilwoman Elizabeth Beck told the news outlet before Tuesday (November 8) night's vote. Beck added that she is working with the city and police department to make citizens aware of the impending change.
Two bar owners and managers, David Silvey and Emil Bragdon, told the news outlet they think the open container ban will make the area safer for patrons.
"Somebody comes in and they've already been drinking outside, and we're not aware of it. We're not sure how much we can serve them," Silvey said.
"Outside of the bars, we really can't do much. And that's been a lot of spawning of issues, of violent issues in the past," Bragdon said.