Longtime residents of a South Los Angeles neighborhood say that they are exhausted by the strain of trying to raise their families amid the prevalence of alcohol and drugs, adding that a local liquor store only makes things tougher.
The complaints zero in on Century Liquor, located at 39th Street and Western Avenue, a key intersection in the working-to-middle class neighborhood, where the population is mostly African Americans and Latinos.
"The liquor store should be closed," said one local resident, who requested that her name be withheld from publication. "There are kids in the neighborhood — the store is attracting crazy people who buy cheap booze to get drunk while using drugs in front of our kids."
Residents of the area say that the problems they attribute to Century Liquor have radiated out into the neighborhood, with public drunkenness, drug use and various other crimes making it difficult to enjoy parks and make use of a local branch of the public library
"Reports were filed with the local police department for general incidences outside the library such as people arguing [and] others being drunk," says Claudia Martinez, senior librarian of the Exposition Park branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.
The complaints have risen in recent months, as job losses and other economic hardships have ratcheted up pressures on the community. A group of community members recently marched in front of Century Liquor in protest of the sale of alcohol and as a way to send a message to City Hall and City Councilmember Bernard Parks, who represents the area as part of his 8th District.
The concerns about crime come as the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) continues to report reduced homicide rates in the area and most parts of the city. Violent crime in general has dropped, too, and LAPD Officer Pierre Olega, who serves as Senior Lead Officer in the neighborhood around Century Liquor, says the trend holds up in the neighborhood.
"There had been three arrests for drinking in public and one arrest for a controlled substance within blocks of Century Liquor" in the first three months of 2009, say Olega. "The past three years have seen a decrease in crime across the neighborhood, and a big improvement in the alley behind Century Liquor. There are no longer card board boxes and people living in the alley."
Not all of the residents have joined the bandwagon to close down the store, which also sells foodstuffs and sundry other items.
"The same issues are in other neighborhoods [assaults, drinking, drugs and homicides] and they are not trying to close those liquor stores," said a 73-year-old resident who also preferred not to be identified or publication.
Century Liquor owner Steve Park says that the business has been in its current location for 40 years. Park says that many of the problems that area residents attributed to the store actually stem from a lack of maintenance by the city. Park says that the alley behind the story is city property, and often the site of illegal dumping that creates an eyesore and cover for illicit activities. The recent improvements cited by Senior Lead Officer Olega only go so far, according to Park, who says that there have been attempted robberies of the liquor store through the back alley in recent months — a trend that prompted him to hire a security guard.
Kids in the neighborhood have their own view of the situation. A 10-year-old recently stood outside the local library and offered his opinion that the liquor store should be replaced with a skate park.
Sheannette Virtue is a writer for Carib Press.
Photos by Sheannette Virtue
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