Chattanooga officials are hitting the mark in trying to draft laws that make flash, or pop-up, parties illegal in the city.
The social media-driven, open-invitation parties that develop at the last minute are potentially dangerous for attendees and bystanders. Law enforcement needs legal tools to get control of them.
But crafting the right laws that don't interfere with the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom to gather and meet in public places, is easier said than done. Call it one of the more complicated and interesting challenges of law enforcement in this new social media world of connectivity.
What happens when guests at these hastily-arranged gatherings can be anybody's guess, and that's what troubles local officials. Two times in the past year police have been called to flash parties that went awry -- one with gunshots fired in the city's signature park on the North Shore and another where a small riot broke out on a college campus. Many other flash parties that troubled police but didn't make headlines involved alcohol by underage drinkers and violations of fire and safety codes.
That's the thing about flash or pop-up parties: The invitation list is unlimited and usually beyond control of the inviting party, either by design or circumstance.
Technically, such gatherings are legal, until the law is broken when anything that can happen does. Gunshots. Rioting. Underage drinking. Overcrowded buildings.
Like many challenges in the early 21st century where instant and multiple means of connectivity has changed the way the world works, this one is unique to Chattanooga officials who want to keep the city safe.
One thing is certain, city officials are moving in the right direction. They can't prevent parties, nor can they circumvent new-age tools for party invitations. But when flash or pop-up parties involve invitations to business or public parks, dynamics change about legislation in favor of the city.
People have a right to gather, but they don't have a right to instigate safety issues in public places or businesses already governed by regulations.
E-mail David Magee at dmagee@timesfreepress.com.