Tuesday night's Little Italy crime meeting had it all -- drama, accusations, finger-pointing and language that can't be printed in a family newspaper. But in the middle of one nasty episode came an exchange that has become a mantra as we in this city discuss the balance between bars and homes:

How much responsibility does a bar owner have to ensure patrons behave both outside the establishment and in the larger neighborhood. Baltimore's police commissioner is pressing bar owners to take a more active role in keeping their surroundings safe and clean.

A manager of Mo's Fisherman's Wharf gave the typical complaint from his side: "We are not here to do anything to anyway. We are here to do business. Customers dowhat they do when they leave. It's not our fault."

Little Italy resident Giovanna Blatterman quickly responded with one of the best come-backs I've heard to this statement: "If I've got a potato chip bag on my sidewalk I get fined. Now you're telling me that if you have human garbage that you're not responsible for it?"