Cleaning up the Strip

Sunday, April 1, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing concern about the bustle along the Strip’s sidewalks and walkways. County officials are worried that tourists might be turned away by what they experience: crowding, grime, unlicensed vendors, street performers, hucksters, racks of adult publications and people passing out cards for escort services.

The scene has been described as chaotic at times on the Strip, and at some points it has been dangerous because tourists end up walking in the street to get around crowds.

That can’t continue to happen if Las Vegas is to retain its spot as a top-tier tourist destination, and Clark County officials are trying to address it.

As Joe Schoenmann reported last week, a group of police officials and casino executives, aided by county staff, spent six months studying the issues and crafting a plan. On Wednesday, the Clark County Commission is scheduled to consider adopting their proposals.

The group’s suggestions include adding more police officers to patrol the Strip, as well as adding trash cans and increasing the frequency of cleaning the sidewalks. The group has also said surveillance cameras could be placed along the Strip to help police, and it has called for tightening county ordinances to crack down on handbillers, illegal vendors, performers and people who beg on the Strip.

Adding police and trash cans make sense and should be pursued. People on the Strip should be able to move safely and freely without being stopped or forced onto the street due to sidewalk bottlenecks, and the county should be able to pursue reasonable, non-harassing measures to protect people and keep the Strip clean. As well, the county is well within its authority to push out unlicensed vendors.

If there’s a safety issue, the county has the ability to handle that, and Metro Police have worked with handbill companies to try to ease congestion.

There are also rules on the books that should allow police to stop the hucksters who set up shop on the sidewalks and pedestrian bridges, as well as people who otherwise obstruct pedestrians.

However, the county should back away from any proposal trying to control handbillers or street performers because people don’t like them. As county officials surely know, federal courts have made it clear that the sidewalks on the Strip and in downtown, even those owned by casinos, are public thoroughfares. That means they are open for all types of free speech activity, and that includes handbillers and street performers.

That won’t sit well with some people who want to spruce up the Strip, but as long as they aren’t breaking any laws, they are allowed to be there, and their rights must be respected.

We believe people have the First Amendment right of expression and that whatever officials do, they should be cognizant of those rights. It would be a waste of time and money to do it the wrong way only to have the courts correct them.

There is a fine line between protecting tourists and others from harassment and a blanket refusal to allow people to express themselves lawfully. We hope county officials find a way to walk that line, and we look forward to a clean, safe and happy tourist destination.

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