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=> Party store tickets hit 1,300

Party store tickets hit 1,300

Posted by Jeff (Guest) jeff@attoz.com - Wednesday, March 17 2004, 23:47:02 (EST) from 69.14.56.182 - d14-69-182-56.try.wideopenwest.com Commercial - Windows XP - Netscape Website: Website title:

Party store tickets hit 1,300 Some owners in Detroit feel targeted By Natalie Y. Moore / The Detroit News Image David Coates / The Detroit News Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick wants to shield children from liquor advertisements by holding businesses accountable. More than 800 stores in Detroit sell liquor. Liquor store crackdown Detroit officials have issued about 1,300 liquor store citations since December, including: * 110 citations for selling alcohol to minors * 47 citations for not having food-handler permits * 243 citations for outdated food or drink * 22 citations for selling cigarettes without a license * 249 violations for sign compliance * One store allowed drugs on the premises and two allowed drug paraphernalia DETROIT — Since Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s public campaign against errant liquor and party stores began two months ago, the city has handed out about 1,300 violations. City officials are pleased by those numbers, but Chaldean store owners say overzealous code enforcers are unfairly targeting them. Kilpatrick launched an effort in December to clean up the city by going after businesses that sell single cigarettes and drug paraphernalia out of storefronts marked by gaudy neon signs. The mayor said he wants to shield children from being bombarded by liquor advertisements and hold accountable businesses that skirt the law. “I think they’re profiling us,” said Nashwan Kassab, who manages his mother’s liquor store, Serv-U-Well, on 16945 W. Warren. Chaldeans such as the Kassabs own 90 percent of Detroit’s liquor stores, according to the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. A few weeks ago, Kassab said, three police officers inspected the store, which also houses a deli, and issued tickets for selling eggs beyond their expiration date, and employees without food handler permits. “I’m actually thinking about selling the store and selling to the suburbs if that’s where you think I should be,” said Kassab, of West Bloomfield. At a recent meeting with the chamber, Kilpatrick said the city is not targeting any group. “We don’t want to harass anyone. We don’t want to have trivial situations. We want a partnership,” Kilpatrick said. “There are problems; let’s work on them together — this has nothing to do with going after Chaldeans.” The mayor’s five-point plan bans new neighborhood liquor and beer/wine stores from opening in Detroit, requests a moratorium on license transfers, seeks to push new stores farther from schools, increases Detroit police sting operations and allows building inspectors to conduct sweeps. More than 800 stores in Detroit sell liquor. These small businesses often function as minisupermarkets, serving residents in the absence of grocery chains. The city has 164 more establishments licensed to sell liquor than it should, based on rate of 1 per 3,000 people, a state law. The surplus is attributed to declining population. Detroit police officers have visited 388 stores and inspectors from the Building Safety and Engineering Department have visited 826. They have issued citations ranging from alcohol sales to minors to having outdated food on shelves. When Kilpatrick announced the crackdown, he said he wanted to stop alcohol from pouring into Detroit neighborhoods and weed out stores that make liquor accessible to minors or illegally peddle crack pipes. Although his original plan focused on liquor, Kilpatrick said last week the community response to ridding stores of aged food has been positive. “It’s having an effect I thought it would have. It’s deshelving a lot of crap,” Kilpatrick said. But having old cereal, stale potato chips or an open bottle of ketchup behind the register is not the same as giving alcohol to children, some business owners say. A building inspector came to Lance’s Hometown Market on 8656 Wyoming and told owner Najib Atisha his sprinkler system was not in compliance. “If I have a violation, then that’s fine. But the inspector was a city building inspector, not a fire marshal,” Atisha said. One City Council member said the mayor should ensure fairness during the crackdown. “The ordinances should be enforced regardless of who you are and they should be fair. If they’re ticketed for having stuff on the counter that’s 1 day old, are they doing it to grocery stores? Is it being fairly administered?” asked Council President Maryann Mahaffey. Chaldeans, or Iraqi Catholics, first came to Metro Detroit in the early 1900s for auto industry jobs. In their homeland they worked as merchants and that profession proved profitable here. By the 1960s, after many businesses had fled Detroit, Chaldeans scooped up cheap land and opened groceries and liquor stores as family-owned businesses. “It seems like they’re targeted because there are few black-owned stores,” not because Chaldeans are being singled out, said Detroit roofer Calvin Flake. He shops at Lance’s Hometown Market. --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

The full topic: Party store tickets hit 1,300 Jeff - Wednesday, March 17 2004, 23:47:02 (EST) Re: Party store tickets hit 1,300 parhad - 03/18 10:58

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