I arrived around 2:00 p.m. at Camperdown Park, ready with a hip flask full of Jack Daniels and my journalistic gear. Upon arrival, I watched event organisers setting up banners and a man with ‘Hip-Hop for Refugees’ shirt dancing to Ice Cube. I stood there, silent, and still basking in the good weather as people began to congregate.

"Yeah, this protest isn’t just about the 3:00 a.m. lockout laws," says Newtown local resident, Ben. "It’s about the whole corporate culture taking over Sydney."

Around 3:00 p.m., disk jockeys appeared, people began dancing and event marshals informed everyone the rally had begun. So, to blend in with the crowd, I pulled out my flask and allowed ‘Uncle Johnny’ help improve the taste of my Red Bull.

Walking down King Street, it become blaringly obvious that this was not just about young people demanding a better nightlife. There were banners from WestConnex, aboriginal rights, activists, environmentalists and pretty much every pro-left, anti-corporate movement you can think of.

Police presence was mild and unintimidating. And that’s how it should be. This was a peaceful protest on all regards. Heck, I even was offered to down bottles of beer and boxes of cooking wine (of which I, of course, accepted).

The protest ended up on Alice Street. The road was closed off by two DJs on either side, and in-between people set up small camps where they danced, played music, dressed up and of course, drank.

Around 4:00 p.m., I decided to take a break from snapping photos and wind down at the Gordon Barley Hotel around the corner. Sitting there sipping a double shot fireball soda water, I overhead the bar staff’s shock regarding the sudden masses of patrons. I personally was shocked that the bottle shop was forcibly closed.

As the afternoon heralded on, I sat in the bar choosing which photos to keep and which to delete. After about an hour (and a few drinks), I pulled out my pen and paper and began writing this article.

However, I thought to myself, something is missing here. Where was the violence? Why haven’t I been King Hit yet? Why didn’t anyone tell me to get lost or threaten me with ‘dun talk to ma GF cuz … watch urslef #gitlostloozer …’

The "King's Cross slash violent party slash dangerous chaos" that’s meant to surface when young adults and alcohol mix was oddly absent.

All young people want to do on a Saturday night is have fun. Get loose. Chill out. Dance. Forget their worries and make memories. Yes, fights will happen, but that’s what police and security guards are there for. Take away the alcohol and close up shop at 3:00 a.m. just means you’re going to get protests like these.

So, as I began to close my article, King's Cross' club "The Club" responds to my email requesting a quote regarding the protest. I find it very fitting, very true, and indeed food for thought.

“If the government was serious about preventing alcohol-based violence, then places like Star Casino and Bangeroo should also be subjected to lockout laws. By placing them under exclusion, it shows that the government is very selective on who gets locked out. The reason behind it, i.e. community safety, does not make sense as it excludes places like casinos where in fact business has increased and young people are now not only getting access to alcohol but also exposed to gambling.

There is no real proof lockouts work."

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