David K. Ford: Downtown doesn’t need a drunken X-Fest

For starters, I would never go to an event like X-Fest no matter where it was held. But as a former owner of a small business in Modesto, I can sympathize with the businesses who want it out of downtown. They’re not saying to cancel it, just move it to a place where it can be better controlled.

I would think promoter Chris Ricci would be open to an idea like that, but it doesn’t seem like it according to what I’m reading in The Bee. He also doesn’t want to limit the alcohol consumption, either. Why not? No downtown business wants hordes of drunken, drugged up “customers” wandering into their shops and causing trouble. The most eye-opening thing I have read in this whole controversy was the 66 percent of off-duty cops who said they would never work it again. That’s all you need to know, City Council. It doesn’t seem like such a “safe” event if most of the cops want nothing to do with it.

And please stop calling the majority of the musical acts “hip-hop” when in reality it’s rap music, well known for profanity-laced, anti-cop lyrics. X-Fest in downtown Modesto? Good riddance!

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 1:32 PM with the headline "David K. Ford: Downtown doesn’t need a drunken X-Fest."