Annie Young wrote yesterday about Monday's City Planning Commission meeting in City Hall, and commended the appearance of about a hundred Somali immigrants to oppose an application for a liquor license at 1501 Sixth Street South.
Young also noted that I spoke to the fact that there has been a restaurant and bar at 1501 since it was built 98 years ago. I have observed activity at 1501 closely over the last ten (not fifty!) years since purchasing the building at 1500, directly across the street. I have resurrected/restored my 99 year old building from its boarded up status and am proud owner and resident of this historic Gluek storefront. Anyway, I can vouch for 1500 being a restaurant and bar with a liquor license during 1993-1996 as Scottie's Knickerbocker, during 1997-1998 as the Minnesota Bar and Grill (a gay establishment), and during 1999-2000 as Vinnie's. To my knowledge, there was never a problem due to drinking patrons over this period. But importantly, there was never any objection to 1500 being a restaurant and bar with a liquor license during the 1993-2000 period by Somalis or other immigrant groups living in the 1303 apartments of Riverside Plaza, or in the 539 apartments of The Cedars (MPHA), which are one block removed to the Northeast and East, respectively. Further, Young wrote that "they explained this was their first time coming down to City Hall..." Well, certainly there was a group of over 200 Somalis which appeared at a Zoning and Planning Committee meeting in City Hall on January 23, 2001, and in fact to OPPOSE, repeat OPPOSE, the proposed pilot homeless shelter program in Seven Corners. The development of the Baja Riverside restaurant and bar at 1500 6th St S is being done by a hard working Latino immigrant. Is it the American way to deny the property rights of one immigrant because of the religious belief about alcohol of another immigrant (which were never asserted in the past)? Robert Johnson Cedar Riverside West Bank _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
