PLATFORM : The Wrong Target

How can the selling of a bottle of liquor or a can of beer be the cause for the lack of housing, the lack of jobs and the lack of good education?

If activists want to protest the lack of economic development, they should picket banks that refuse to make loans in South-Central. Or they could protest against insurance companies that redline and charge too much for coverage in South-Central.

We provide an essential service in areas that cannot be considered mobile communities.A mother can go to a corner store and buy milk for her baby because we sell more than alcohol. Let’s not eliminate a convenience in a community that is already deprived in many ways. As merchants, we hire people who live in the community; we pay taxes and support charity. If we’re going to allow liquor sales, merchants should not be singled out and punished with burdensome taxes and the overly restrictive regulations. I suggest that community leaders talk to the residents served by these stores to determine their wants and needs.