The Nighttime Mayor a Nexus of Resources, Community and Spaces Supporting Harm Reduction

Over my six years of working in the Iowa City Downtown District I have come to a broader definition of harm reduction. This definition encompasses strategies around drug use. It includes how we design and keep our spaces. It is also about preventative and divergent services like crisis counseling and programs that empower our patrons, visitors and nightlife employees with a toolkit of tactics to intercede on behalf of each other. I’ve realized harm can come in many forms and the prevention in my community comes from many different organizations.  The more I thought about all these stakeholders and how they interact, I saw my role as a nexus point for community safety. In this blog I’m going to be very specific to my own community, but I’m sure these ideas and concepts exist in yours, perhaps under a different name or with a similar organization. I will highlight the role of a night mayor or nighttime manager can help build more successful outcomes by supporting community safety strategies. 

These supports I categorize into three areas: Resources, Community and Spaces RESOURCES - help support the people that maintain the spaces and community. A common theme across a lot of the work I do is understanding the resources and information available and pointing folks in those directions. Here are examples of what we have available: Having a free sobering unit in Iowa City called the Guidelink Center has not only diverted people from jail but also has expanded services such as crisis counseling while being provided at a reduced rate or completely free. Having a bystander intervention training called “Raise the Bar” being provided at no cost to restaurant and bar staff as well as any patrons who would like to attend. Grant funded naloxone training and supplies implemented by Community & Family Resources (CFR) a statewide program in Iowa, with a location in Iowa City. Connecting bar and restaurant staff with free trainings from an Iowa City Police about de-escalating situations and ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate). In one instance it was as simple as corralling all the agencies/stakeholders hosting these free resources and advocating for the creation and distribution of a campaign in our businesses. This included the players mentioned above but also including 9-8-8 suicide/crisis hotline and actual human beings who could come in meet you in mobile crisis. COMMUNITY - In Iowa City, I have a standing meeting, the restaurant and bar forum. This meeting is structured with relevant information for businesses, but is also driven by topics the operators want to discuss. A constant guest at this meeting is Iowa City Public Safety. While bars, clubs and restaurants are giving feedback to public safety during normal nightly operations, this meeting gives a calmer space removed from the operation to more thoroughly share and learn what each is experiencing in nightlife. This is a formal setting where I can share out resources like the Guidelink Center, Raise the Bar, naloxone training and de-escalation training. For those that are unable to attend the meeting a re-cap is sent out and of course when I see these operators in passing Downtown nightlife I make mention of it. This standing meeting also creates a meeting space for operators, owners and managers to meet each other outside of their businesses and connect with their community. Over time the bars and restaurants started their own self managed Slack channel to share relevant safety information in real time. In this instance, my role was as easy as tapping into the contacts of all the business owners and sharing out this information, as well as in person when I saw these people.

SPACES - Using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)  can further establish community public safety. Visitors and residents notice cues that a space is cared for and signal the encouragement or discouragement in the use of certain spaces in nightlife. Is the space maintained? Is it cared for? Is the space's purpose clearly defined and signaling its proper use. How is the lighting and layers of lighting sources? These are all things to consider and when addressing these items it’s important to share that story for visitors and residents alike to know ‘this space is looked after and cared for’.

In The Iowa City Downtown District we have recently partnered with the City of Iowa City for more detailed cleaning and wayfinding services in our District through the hiring of Block by Block. Not only does this tidy up the space after getting heavy use at nighttime, but signals to all our visitors the positive reputation the space wants to maintain. This service also works on behalf of our businesses with on call cleaning in the public right of way, like alleys, sidewalks and alcoves.

Another opportunity to influence our Downtown spaces has started with support of University of Iowa harm reduction funds to create a granting process managed by myself.. In collaboration with private businesses and property owners, I have been pushing on improving the public spaces around their properties that can improve the lighting and access to the public. Downtown is one of the Protective Environments (priority 3.2) spaces that students inhabit, but the benefits to improving it impacts all visitors to nightlife. This again highlights the ways a night mayor can have impact by getting two parties to take action and connecting their assets like funding and property to work together.

I truly do believe in the value of my role even though I may not be taking the final action. The Nighttime Mayor can grow the amount of successful outcomes for community safety through sharing information, connecting stakeholders, welcoming the resources and encouraging the nightlife community to engage. You can lead a horse to water but they have to take the drink. The nighttime mayor makes it more likely they will.

-Joe Reilly Iowa City, IA