MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Beale Street leaders can't agree on a method to control overcrowding and violence among visitors.
Paul Morris, former manager of Beale for the Downtown Memphis Commission, tells local media that two back-to-back incidents occurred Sunday, the latest in a string of at least 18 stampedes since 2013.
The Beale Street Merchants Association and other organizations are considering Beale Street Bucks as a way to tighten admission. Visitors would have to pay a $5 or $10 admission fee to access the street.
Other options include more tightly controlling admission when the street becomes dangerously crowded, or stopping people from entering until the crowd thins out.
The Beale Street Development Corporation says they don't agree with the Beale Street Bucks proposal, saying any fee would deny equal access to the historic area.