Would Making Spectators Illegal Help Stop 'Sideshows'?

SAN JOSE (CBS13) – Illegal sideshow crackdowns have become commonplace across Northern California, but one city is trying to kick it up a notch.

San Jose's city council is set to consider a plan on Tuesday that would make it illegal for anyone even to attend a sideshow as a spectator. Community leaders say these sideshows are dangerous for participants, spectators, and the public.

The plan comes after an incident in San Jose last Halloween where a car struck an innocent bystander.

San Jose's spectator crackdown is modeled after similar ordinances that have recently been enacted in Los Angeles and San Diego.

California state lawmakers are also working on a bill that would put people who take part in a sideshow behind bars.

The bill, which is working its way through the Capitol, would increase the penalties to a felony crime punishable with a $25,000 fine and a one-year prison sentence.