Last year Linden Liquors at 904 West North Avenue in Reservoir Hill was closed by the Baltimore City Police Department using a "Padlock Law". There had recently been a murder inside of the store. Before the murder the store was a notorious hangout for drug dealers, drug users, and other people conducting illegal activities. It was a total nightmare and the citizens won a liquor board case that would have closed the store permanently at that location. The owner of the store had good lawyers who were able to find a technicality in the liquor board's decision. Despite the numerous and obvious liquor violations the store wound up shut down for less than a year solely because of the padlock law. The padlock was to come off of the store in August but the police allowed it to come off on July 1st because the owner made "concessions". These concessions were never agreed to by the community. The community had given the store a chance before the killing and before the liquor board case. On July 7, 2009 the owner of the store was allowed to talk about the changes he made inside of the store at a Reservoir Hill Improvement Council meeting. Before the meeting numerous citizens from Reservoir Hill protested the opening of the store outside of the meeting. You can view photos of the protest here. Thanks goes out to Howard Fink for taking some great photos of the evening. Below is a video that a Reservoir Hill resident made of the event:
Since the summer of 2008 the media (The Sun staff especially) presence in Baltimore has decreased so for now you are only going to be able to follow this tragic story of a neighborhood held hostage here.
Comments
It's the benjamins my friend. Money speak louder than your actions. It's all in who you know and not who you blow.
Worst. Commenter. Again.
EXCELLENT VIDEO!
I fail to see how closing a liquor store will get rid of crime and drug dealers. They'll just move to the next street corner.
Double B: and I fail to see how that fact (that they'll move somewhere else) should mean that a neighborhood should just ACCEPT such a festering cess-pit in its midst?!? Let the neighorhood they move to deal with them. You know, if everyone similarly stood up for their neighborhood, I bet you'd see a decrease in crime, hmm?
Very nice photos. Your photographer must be a professional. The pictures really tell the story.
I like the photo of the white baby holding hands with the Afro American baby and in the background is the peace sign. that image should be made into a billboard. Your photographer did a nice job. excellent workx
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