Per your own post you claim two things - that a very similar (and possibly worse) problem existed with ruthless enforcement, yet the problem was still bad. Why is then your conclusion/question that we need more of that, or I guess to more accurately paraphrase what you said, less compassion than we have now? Those things don’t really seem to logically follow.
Yea, I'm not seeing this compassionate approach we have been doing for the past decades apparently.
I went out to one of those giant clubs in Brooklyn not too long ago to see a friend DJ (Brooklyn Mirage). I was on guestlist, but the cover would have been $50. I bought a round of drinks to say thanks, and for three drinks I paid $75. Plus they made me load a credit card on some stupid wristband to even get the drinks. What 20-something can afford to do that with any regularity? Their rent is already 2-3x what I paid when I moved to Brooklyn nearly 20 years ago.
I don't buy the "young kids don't want to go out late anymore". They just never encountered scenes that were consistently relaxed, fun, and cheap.
With insane ticket, cover and drink costs. People would rather stay in and do something cheaper.
I will say the underground scene is thriving because of this though.