One of teenagers’ rites of passage into adulthood is attending crowded, sweaty and heat-filled concerts. However, Columbus police see things differently.

According to The Other Paper, Columbus police have started to enforce a more than 50-year-old ordinance that prohibits minors from entering “dance halls” without legal guardians. This has forced some venues to ban all-ages shows because of confusion as to what constitutes a “dance hall.”

This confusion could cost venue owners big bucks and discourage bands from coming to Columbus, because they will change venues to bring in larger crowds.

The Other Paper reported that since April 10, Columbus police have enforced the ordinance at Alrosa Villa and the Newport Music Hall. Of the two venues, only the Newport said it will continue to have all-ages shows.

The effect of these “dance hall” raids have also resonated throughout campus-area venues, said Dan Dougan, owner of Little Brother’s, in a May 12 Columbus Dispatch article. The venue is now 18 and older. This change forced Little Brother’s to refund tickets for concerts by the Blood Brothers and Mae last week.

The decision to enforce an old, obscure law is outrageous. The Other Paper reported the law has not been in use for that past five years. Only now, when it is most convenient for the police to use it, do they remember it exists.

This ordinance should be taken off the books. It is so fraught with holes that it is not possible to accurately define.

The Dispatch reported that the ordinance defines a dance hall as “any room, place or space in which a public dance shall be held.”

Questions we have are: How do you define dancing between generations? Can police accurately say that the Newport, Little Brother’s and any other venues that have all-ages shows are meant to be dance halls? Some people just want to go and see a band. They do not want to dance.

However, these are moot points when the real reason why the Columbus police are falling back on rubbish ordinances is revealed.

“Columbus police are going to take a common-sense approach to this process, and the focus is going to be on liquor-oriented establishments such as bars and clubs,” Barb Seckler, assistant director of the Columbus Department of Public Safety told The Other Paper.

It’s amusing that they’re using this ordinance, which does not mention alcohol, to enforce alcohol laws. It is common knowledge that anyone under 21 is forbidden to purchase or consume alcohol. Most venues do not sell to underage customers. Faced with losing ticket sales to underage concert-goers, venues should be willing to work with the city to keep alcohol out of underaged hands. This would allow the venues to maintain all-ages shows and keep minors from breaking the law, instead of hurting everyone involved.