Tuesday, January 20, 2009

BREAKING: Jameson Asks Beer Industry, "Which Laws Do You Think Are Not Being Enforced?"

CM Mike Jameson deferred Gilmore's beer-blight bill tonight because she is at the Obama Inauguration. However, he added that in light of a letter from sellers claiming that enforcement was the main problem he was also deferring the bill to get them to answer the very questions that I have been asking of the beer industry supporters in the local media here (without getting any answers): what specific laws are not being enforced? How would the beer industry have us better enforce the laws in light of the fact that the top 10 public intoxication offenders have been arrested over 1,350 times?

CM Jameson was kind enough to send me the list of offenders:


It is patently ridiculous for the beer industry, absentee slum lords, and industry supporters in the media to claim that public intoxication has nothing to do with any other illegal activity when those with numerous drunk collars have long rap sheets.

Jameson's tone seemed forceful tonight, given his usually even-keeled demeanor, and he gave no indication in his comments that the bill would be "tweaked" in a way that one local media beer industry supporter found hopeful. He still wants to cut the problem off at the source. It looked like to me he was laying down the gauntlet and challenging opponents to prove that enforcement is indeed lacking.

So, the question still stands: if the problem with deteriorating conditions and crime around single-serve sellers is enforcement, then what is not being enforced and how should that enforcement happen?

2 comments:

  1. Strong work by CM Jameson for standing up with the facts and numbers at the council meeting. He did look like he was asking them to 'bring it'. Strong work by you in your coverage of this. Hard to argue with those numbers.

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  2. Do the arrests include only those convicted of drinking beverages covered by the bill, in the area covered by the bill? If not, the numbers are meaningless.

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