Opinion by Chris Bunton
This recent event where a young college student, Riley Strain; left a Nashville bar and was found dead, has really hit me.
I’m not a soft hearted guy. But, I tend to notice when things are wrong. And I see some things wrong with this situation.
First, I have had my experiences with bars for years. I have also been kicked out of a lot of bars. I actually became quite the expert for a while after my divorce.
But, I’ve grown up and gotten wiser.
That being said, I think that taverns need to grow up and get wiser as well.
How many people have to get hurt or killed because of a place that is supposed to be fun?
I mean seriously, how many people leave bars and kill themselves or others in drunk driving accidents? How many people get beat to death by bouncers? How many women get drugged and raped or go missing from bars? How many ruined lives and regrets come from these fun filled places? How many people get kicked out of bars and end up dead?
I’m not calling for prohibition, but can we get a little more safety? Our kids go to college and get ruined because of bars and booze? Is that ok?
So, let’s look at this case from a few newspaper articles.
First, Riley was out with “Friends”.
Friends who let him wander the streets and die? We should all be so lucky to have friends like these.
Of course, we do not know the details. We do not know what was said inside the bar. But, maybe there should be more investigation to find out what happened.
Was Riley drunk when he got to the bar with his “Friends”?
Why was he asked to leave if he was only served one alcoholic drink and two waters?
But, a statement by the owner, Luke Bryan came out later saying :
“During Riley’s visit to Luke’s 32 Bridge, our records shows that he purchased and was served one alcoholic drink and two waters,” Bryan said in the statement. “At 9:35 p.m., our security team was made a decision based on our conduct standards to escort him from the venue through our Broadway exit at the front of our building. He was followed down the stairs with one member of his party. The individual with Riley did not exit and returned upstairs.”
He only purchased one alcoholic drink at this bar. Were people buying him drinks? What did he do to get kicked out?
We see video footage of him walking through Nashville, and he is obviously drunk. How can the kid’s debit card be found in one place, and his cell phone in another, then his body 8 miles away?
I understand the river swept him away, but did he throw away his debit card, then his cell phone as he walked along, and then fell into the river?
The police say there was no foul play. Which is probably true. Everything that happened to him is perfectly legal, and maybe that’s the problem.
How can you be out with “Friends”. Get drunk. Get kicked out of a bar. Then wander the streets and fall in a river and die?
That’s what happened.
Everybody feels bad. Thoughts and prayers.
But, why don’t we do something to make these activities safer?
I’ve been to Nashville and seen the hordes of people going in and out of bars. I’m not saying its easy to keep track of everything, but by golly if you are kicking someone out, then you are capable of paying attention.
Maybe when it’s seen that a person needs kicked out, the security or bartender or both gathers more info. Maybe they should be required to give exact details, names, times etc. Perhaps something that can help track down a person or give details of wrong doing.
Maybe there needs to be more videos in bars and around bars. These are locations where a lot of bad things occur.
Maybe Taverns and “Friends” need to held more liable when tragedy strikes.
I’m just saying that things don’t add up in this case.
And maybe we need to put regulations and laws in place that can help things add up in the future. That way we can more easily find a missing person, or arrest a criminal element, or save someone who needs it.
At the very least the parents and grandparents can get the information that will help things to add up in their own mind.
The truth will set you free. Knowing what really happened is far better than placing blame where it doesn’t belong.
Why hide things? If taverns are above board all the time, then why be concerned about information getting out? I can tell you that if I was a bar owner and someone died after being in my establishment, I would go out of my way to make sure people were safe in the future.
Its all fun and games after all. Till someone dies.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/22/us/riley-strain-found-nashville-missing/index.htm
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/
Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/
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