What's up with downtown?

I am worried about downtown Coeur d'Alene. My concern is based on first-hand knowledge, not scientific study, so I am not sure that it is justified, but my concern is real. The city takes on a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde persona that confuses me. While Coeur d'Alene is bustling during the day with friendly faces and a warm sense of place, the night life can be far from jovial.

For example, the night after Christmas, I met up with my roommate from college that I hadn't seen in a while, and we went downtown for a beer. Of course, that night will be etched into our community memory for some time, but what I will remember it most for is not for what made the headlines. My friend and I arrived at the Beacon, which was so bustling with activity that it was impossible to get in. That, in my mind, is a great fact, taken alone. I held the door open for no less than 10 people coming and going, none of whom acknowledged me nor thanked me for doing so. My friend was taken aback. His disgust at the incident as a local turned out-of-towner became the topic of conversation for the next hour or so.

I shared with him my good and bad experiences of downtown in the past few years. Many good memories revolve around friends and family that join me in the festive atmosphere around holiday celebrations and Ironman.

Downtown business owners provide an amazing atmosphere that I love to partake and share in. Business owners should be applauded for providing a sense of place that all of Kootenai County can find unique ownership in. The bad experiences revolve around what I believe to be a fringe element that endangers our sense of ownership.

I explained to him my observations that this fringe seems to be metastasizing into the atmosphere of the nightlife in Coeur d'Alene broadly. Increasingly, more and more unfamiliar faces abound. Some of these new faces bring friendliness and welcome diversity. However, there is another faction dressed in designer clothes that provide a paltry covering for underdeveloped egos protruding in the shape of snobby and pugnacious attitudes.

Members of this latter minority were the type who had jaded my friend by being so rude at the door. As we prepared to leave downtown, his impressions were solidified by the horrible scene of police, ambulances and reporters. We looked on, shocked at the sight of people being loaded into ambulances and my truck sitting on a rim from a stray bullet.

Maybe my observations are just a sign of the times. Maybe, as the owner of Brix was quoted as saying the other day, this economy just puts people on edge.

This is not a problem that can be fought by excluding people, or through confrontation. People from all over the world should experience our wonderful downtown, and locals should feel comfortable and safe no matter what the hour.

Maybe I am just too conservative for the nightlife in Coeur d'Alene. But as someone who loves Coeur d'Alene and wants someday to have kids that have a safe place to gather with friends, I am concerned that I can't stay out until closing time on Sherman and feel safe. Perhaps the only defense we have against this pervasive force is to encourage amicability, responsibility, tolerance and moderation among ourselves as we patronize downtown. Perhaps our vigilance can keep our friendly town from turning hostile after dark.

Luke Malek is a Kootenai County resident who looks forward to spending many more evenings patronizing businesses that keep our community strong in downtown Coeur d'Alene.