Activists are calling on Tennessee officials to institute more protections for bar patrons, after Mizzou student Riley Strain was asked to leave a Nashville bar and subsequently drowned in the Cumberland River in March.
The 22-year-old disappeared on March 8, while visiting Nashville on a fraternity trip. Strain and his friends were visiting country singer Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge Food + Drink when the bar staff "made a decision based on [their] conduct standards to escort him from the venue," the TC Restaurant Group said in a statement.
Strain's body was discovered in the Cumberland River on March 22 - after weeks of search parties and investigations. During that time, many critics began pointing fingers at the bar where Strain was last seen. TC Restaurant Group maintains that the bar served Strain one alcoholic drink and two waters before he was escorted out.
Community member Deborah Borza created a Change.org petition in response to Strain's death, advocating for the "Riley Act."
"This law would [make it mandatory] for bars and staff to call cabs and Ubers for intoxicated and disoriented individuals," she wrote. Since its creation on MArch 24, the petition has garnered more than 30,000 signatures and the support of Strain's loved ones.
"It would be nice if we had a safety net to catch the ones that fall through the cracks, unfortunately, like Riley did that night," family friend Chris Dingman told WSMV. "The family thought that was a neat idea, and it's really just been grass rooted."
Dingman said that the petition still needs "some serious tweaks" to make it legally viable but like many others, he supports the overall sentiment. Nashville City Council member Jacob Kupin said the local government is considering other new policies that could make the city safer.
"I wouldn't say it's an impossible ask, but I think what I'm looking at is, what's the sentiment," he told WSMV. "What are we trying to get with Riley's law? And how do we solve for that?"
