Rochester Police say they’ll be stepping up their presence in Rochester’s East End bar district this weekend, adding more foot patrols and State Police sobriety checkpoints around the area.
Police say this is to cope with large crowds that have tended to gather around East Avenue and Alexander Street, last weekend throwing rocks and bottles when police move in to break them up. They’ll be checking bars two-to-three times a night to make sure they’re complying with COVID-19 regulations, including masking requirements.
Police say the trouble they had last weekend was with people who arrived too late to be seated at bars under the new rule that require patrons order a meal with alcohol. Those people congregated in the street and turned violent.