Photo By John Hoff At the last Hawthorne Neighborhood Huddle, Lieutenant Mike Sauro of the 4th Precinct discussed some increased police presence on Broadway, which will include cracking down in the area of Hawthorn Crossings, a location notorious for open air drug dealing.
In the course of that discussion...
...Sauro mentioned how the area around the parking lot for Merwin's Liquor has a deeply flawed design problem, because a low wall gives individuals a place to sit all day, hang out, and deal drugs. Sauro said if he had his way, the wall would be torn down. Sauro said if anybody knows the owner of that liquor store...well, it would be a good idea to have a little chat with him about how the fence around his property has become, in effect, seating space for dozens of no-accounts, crackheads, winos, and drug dealers.
That's my summary, not Sauro's. Sauro just mentioned how the constant "hanging around" is a problem, and how he wished the wall could be torn down and, well, maybe somebody who knows the owner could pass on the message.
I don't know the owner. But I'm sure passing on the message.
Just a few days ago, I saw a photo showing how Merwin's looked in 1974, advertising the SODA FOUNTAIN which used to be inside. Now they sell Mad Dog 20/20 to chronic inebriates which hang around like green bottle flies on rotting road kill. One of my first experiences in North Minneapolis was at Merwins, at night, and it left quite an impression.
How a mighty name in the neighborhood has come to mean so much less than it once did! If Mr. Merwin, the founder of that business, were alive today you have to wonder what he'd say. The Merwin's family name has come to represent a liquor store the size of a supermarket, with the dregs of society gathered closely around on a convenient stone ledge which seems DESIGNED for long term sitting. Would a liquor store DELIBERATELY DESIGN something to accommodate the habits of chronic loiterers, so the drunkards would stay near?
Perhaps not, but it seems to have worked out that way.
27 comments:
John, if you're referring to Thursday's huddle, I am 99% sure it wasn't Dolan who was there. Couldn't say who specifically, but we can find out.
I looked into it and corrected. The officer was Lieutenant Mike Sauro of the 4th Precinct.
yeah I'm 100% sure it wasn't Dolan based on the fact that I wasn't drooling.
Why don't you ask Louis directly about this? (You know, just in case he doesn't read your blog.)
Louis Dachis
Proprietor
Merwin Liquors
(612) 387-7875 (cell)
louis@merwinliquors.com
Keep the wall, eliminate the places to plant your ass.
Ranty,
Thanks for the contact info. I will fire off an email to Louis right now and see if he has a response.
Johnny,
Your article was simultaneously insulting and offensive and if it weren't so misinformed, I wouldn't be responding. First, a little background...
When I bought Merwins five years ago, there was a filthy shuttered restaurant, an unlicensed check cashing outfit, a drug store with no merchandise and a run down and hostile liquor store that would deserve all of the criticism you are blindly throwing at me now.
I envisioned gutting the space and recreating a first class environment that would not only appeal to the neighborhood, but act as a destination for those outside of the neighborhood. I spent a considerable amount of money to create this shopping experience- yes, we still sell MD20/20 (and you'd be surprised how many ordinary people enjoy this sweet stuff) but we also sell $300 bottles of wine, $1,700 bottles of cognac and everything in between. I spend over $100,000 a year advertising to people through City Pages, the Strib, Radio and TV to draw people into North Minneapolis that otherwise wouldn't come here. And it's working. Business has been growing at a fast rate and as I look at the faces walking in the door, it's a diverse crowd from all over the cities. How many other businesses on West Broadway are investing as heavily and drawing people in from outside of the neighborhood?
I might as well mention that if you would like to peruse my current inventory and perhaps even purchase a nice bottle of wine for dinner this week, you can check us out online at www.shopmerwins.com.
Anyway, as a part of this multimillion dollar redevelopment, the city asked me to create a green space near the street and put up a fence. Yes, THE CITY ASKED ME TO PUT UP THIS WALL AND FENCE.
Let me be very clear about this: I do NOT want these vagrants loitering in front of my store or anywhere else on the block. Their presence creates an awful image for the neighborhood and is detrimental to my business. Each year, I have to spend thousands of dollars to fix the fence that they damage. All of these people are trespassed from my store- we do not serve them, we do not let them on the property, we shoo them away many times a day, we even have them arrested when we can. The fellow in your picture (please note that he is standing at the bus stop and not sitting on my wall) has been trespassed from my property.
In fact, this past weekend Merwins hosted a neighborhood cleanup and Safe Zone kickoff- were you there, Johnny Northside? We had City Council Members Hofstedte and Samuels there to speak and of course the vagrants were hanging out both on our corner as well as on the opposite corners. Three of the individuals were Geographically Trespassed and on the Gross Misdemeanor enhancement list. It was suggested that we should call the police to get them out of the area- we did. A half hour later, the police drove by and waved at them to move on. They didn't stop, they didn't arrest these men that were prohibited from being in the area.
The prior week, we caught a man selling marijuana around the corner. He had a considerable amount on him but the cops that responded simply confiscated his pot and told him to move on.
I could recount countless stories just like this until you would want to tear your hair out. This is not just happening at my property but on all four corners and throughout this area. Perhaps Lt. Sauro should arrest those dealing drugs instead of blaming the problem on a wall.
While the wall the city asked me to build has it's flaws, it's not the issue- it's proper enforcement of the laws and prosecution of these individuals that needs to be stepped up.
For my part, I am looking at two options to remedy my wall issue- a public art piece that would prevent people from sitting there or a fence modification that would do the same. If you would have contacted me first, you would have learned about this.
I've worked VERY hard to build a first class business on the corner. I've hired from the community and invested heavily in a neighborhood where most are pulling out of. Perhaps before making assumptions and casting aspersions, you should investigate and learn about what you are writing.
Merwins was named "Best Liquor Store" by City Pages in 2008 and I am proud of the high level of customer service we offer as well as the first rate product selection and presentation. I serve as Vice President for the West Broadway Area Coalition and head the Safety Committee for that organization. I've served on the board for Summit Academy, donated to countless local events including Go!, the Peace Ball, Lundstrom Center, and Flow. I plant flowers in my front lot every year myself and I regularly pick up our lot and the neighborhood. To have all of this hard work belittled by you in this little anonymous blog is infuriating.
Please understand that I haven't pulled a dime out of this business venture and that I care deeply about my investment in this corner. Why on earth would I want to undermine that so that these idiots can sit out there?
West Broadway needs a thriving business community that is supported by the community. Recognizing the challenges and working to identify "the good guys" rather than just casting stones will help to make this area viable. Simply villainizing willing partners will ensure more boarded up storefronts and a continued decline into despair.
My name is Louis Dachis. My cell phone number is 612.387.7875. My email address is louis@dachis.com. I'm not hiding behind an anonymous online avatar. You can always find me at either of those contact points or at the corner of Lyndale and West Broadway... working. Next time you have a question or an issue, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Louis Dachis
Dear Louis
I'll be happy to respond to your comments point by point, though not necessarily in order.
This blog is not anonymous. Everybody and anybody who checks out this blog--and that includes a lot of neighborhood movers and shakers--knows this blog is run by John Hoff. The same guy who is on most of the photo credits.
Yeah, I use a name for marketing purposes. I might point out your name isn't "Merwin," either, Mr. owner of Merwin's Liquor.
Second...oh, really? And tell me who is buying those $1700 bottles of cognac? Your expensive drink selection is a biter joke in the neighborhood. I pointed out the expensive drinks to a longtime resident, and I asked her, "Who on earth buys that stuff?" and the answer I got (it is speculative, I'm sure) is "highly successful drug dealers."
But, hey, if they have cash, right?
Third, please don't insult my intelligence by pretending "Mad Dog" 20/20 enjoys wide popularity across the whole socioeconomic spectrum of society. That drink has a certain reputation, and it is well-deserved.
Fourth, what I wrote on my blog about your "butt fence" and what was said at the Hawthorne Huddle is the truth. I'm not going to wait around to talk to you, 30 other people with an opinion, the various coalitions and non-profits before I print very substantive information that came from the mouth of Lt. Mike Sauro about how YOUR BUTT FENCE IS A PROBLEM AND THEY'D LIKE IT MODIFIED.
On the contrary, I'm going to print such info as quickly as I can, but hope a substantive discussion takes place and more info comes available. I see my evil plan is working.
I went out of my way to contact you by email after "Ranty" provided your info. Doing that wasn't required, but I did it, and I'm giving you an opportunity to have your say. And I'm saying stuff back to your say.
"Butt fence" is my term, however. And "tear down this wall" is obviously a play on words from that Reagan Era quote about the Berlin Wall, which creates an eye-catching headline.
MODIFYING the wall is clearly what is being suggested, whether that means making it less hospitable to chronic long term drug loitering or tearing it down and building a better wall, either way, some kind of modification is what the police spokesman was talking about.
I really can't believe you are criticizing the police, when the police clearly aren't backed up enough by the court system, and the police are risking their lives every day--IN YOUR PARKING LOT, PLENTY OF THE TIME--and even you are willing to admit the butt fence has "issues."
So how many of those $1700 bottles of cognac do you think you'd have to sell to create a better fence that no-account druggies and chronic inebriates couldn't hang around upon all day long, some of them apparently individuals who have been repeatedly trespassed from your store? You trespass them but then your fence provides convenient long term seating? Surely you see the madness in that?
As for what I was doing this weekend, I was at the Hawthorne Spring Clean Up instead of the other event you mentioned. But even if that wasn't true, I'm not required to pick up litter for several hours before having a public opinion about the ongoing negative impact of your poorly-designed "butt fence."
The only difference between me and many others in the neighborhood is I'm saying OPENLY what many are saying PRIVATELY about the scary people who hang around all day on your oh-so-convenient stone ledge "butt fence."
Your wall has issues, Louis. I wouldn't have written anything about it--I'm far too busy griping about the constant open air drug dealing at Hawthorn Crossings--but when Lt. Mike Sauro brought it up at Hawthorne Huddle, I was sure going to report what he was saying because (by blog standards) it was newsworthy and substantive.
Oh, last of all...I do actually shop at your store, and I even have a Merwin's card (not that it's ever been of much use, unlike other loyalty cards I use like my SuperAmerica card) but lately I prefer Broadway Liquor Outlet because, well, I just don't feel the sense of filth and grime and hopelessness that I sense all around the perimeter of your property from the chronic hangers-out, who are facilitated by your oh-so-convenient "butt fence."
Sorry if you don't like this discussion, and I'm sure we probably have a lot more in common than might be apparent from this discussion, but if you have a problem with what's being said about your "butt fence" maybe you should talk to the police officer who brought it up, not me.
As Joan of Ark said, "I am but the messenger."
"I really can't believe you are criticizing the police, when the police clearly aren't backed up enough by the court system,"
there is plenty of blame to spread around. i'm sure that the revolving door of the courts system makes police wonder what's the point. as much gratitude as i have for the work of 4th precinct officers, there is a burr under the saddle: at the same time that i recognize my dependence on the MPD, it has ALSO been my observation over the years that part of the MPD communications strategy is to manage their sense of frustration by passing along responsibility to the public wherever they can, and not always in productive ways.
the truth is, of course, that the public does have a role to play. but when community members who are calling 911, who are communicating with police are given the knee-jerk response that whenever, in response to your call, squads just drive by without officers getting out of the car, that it's just too complicated for us to question why this decision is made, whereas whenever a crime happens it's because you only called nine times and not ten times, that doesn't foster the partnering relationship that the police need to have with active community members.
i don't know what the particular situation is with merwin's. i'm just commenting on this one aspect of the situation, since it certainly struck a chord with my experiences especially during the long and frustrating uncle bill's years.
we depend on the police, no question. we need to work with them as partners, no question. that doesn't mean that we accept everything they say without question--they can go in to cya mode just like anyone else.
there's a lot of frustration to go around, and we need to find ways to not pass it back and forth among stakeholders who need to be working together.
Whether the police "cya" or not, anybody can look at that "butt fence," the way it was built and its location and quickly realize...it was practically DESIGNED to be a long term seat for the very same no accounts who congregate there.
well, there was no similar seating outside snow foods or uncle bill's and yet, somehow, the dealers managed to hang out anyway. i find this inordinate focus on small, potentially controllable pieces of the puzzle (like a wall, cutting shrubs, etc.) more of a sign of frustration than anything. maybe working with the owner to change the wall (it sounds like he's already working on that anyway) will have some effect. maybe it will even be the magic bullet that you want it to be. but it's hardly worth ruining the relationship with the storeowner over, which is the bigger picture. and, on the other hand, if the storeowner really is the bad actor that you are treating him as, the wall is the very least of the problem.
True enough about Uncle Bill's, but let's keep one thing in mind: I AM NOT THE ONE WHO INITIALLY BROUGHT THIS UP ABOUT THE BUTT FENCE NEEDING TO BE MODIFIED.
This isn't just a wild notion that one day crossed my blogger mind, and I decided to criticize the guy who owns Merwins over the wall issues. This articulation about the problem with the "butt fence" came from the mouth of a high-ranking member of the 4th Precinct, at a public meeting.
Everybody sees the problems around Merwins DAILY. Everybody sees it. And everybody has been much too silent about it for precisely the reason you're articulating: oh, there's this businessman, and he could be part of the solution, so let's not criticize him in public, let's just keep working with him to make changes.
And, I might add, another thing I'm hearing from a least one dear friend:
"Oh, have you met Louis? Louis is SO NICE. If you met him, you really wouldn't think badly of him at all."
I am sure that's true. So how fortunate I haven't met him, because somebody needs to be the "bad cop," here.
Somebody needs to call bull**** on the problems at this property in a very public way and say no matter how NICE Louis is, clearly Louis doesn't have the will to clean up his property--even in very minor ways--and what gathers on the periphery of that business is dragging down the neighborhood while Louis sells $1700 bottles of cognac to...whoever.
Yes, Louis has apparently done SOME STUFF to clean up his property. But judging from his own words posted here, Louis seems to be at a point of saying, "I've done enough. I'm busy selling $1700 bottles of cognac. And have you ever TRIED MD 20/20? before you criticize it?"
FAR BE IT FROM LOUIS to fail to defend the reputation of a liquor product that sells SO WELL right there on that corner. SO MUCH IS REVEALED in that response by Louis.
How long are we supposed to ride that tired pony of "work with the businessmen" before it drops dead?
The Fourth Precinct sent up the flare. I merely amplified it with commentary and a picture. Ask Lt. Mike Sauro why he said what he said about the "butt fence" and if somebody knows the owner, well, you should talk to that guy about it.
Check out this great discussion of MD 20 20 at "bumwine.com."
http://www.bumwine.com/md2020.html
gosh, weren't you the one criticizing us for daring to be happy that snow foods closed, and telling us how we should give the guy the benefit of the doubt, even if he does sell drug paraphernalia? i guess it's a completely different situation when it's in your own neighborhood.
maybe it is true that the owner of merwins is a bad actor and impossible to work with--either scenario is plausible to me.
what i'm taking issue with is your conviction that it is completely impossible that "a high-ranking member of the 4th Precinct" could possibly have an agenda that doesn't mesh 100% with the residents of the community.
very often community and police interests do mesh. my experience has been that they sometimes diverge, and it's important to be alert to these divergences. not to do so is lazy, and gives away our responsibility. admitting that a large institution like the MPD might actually have its own priorities that are different than mine is not disrespectful, it just to acknowledge that various stakeholders are coming from different positions. our excellent and fabulous previous commander Lee Edwards(who, whatever his issues may or may not have been really "got" community policing, once stated that his favorite show was the Wire, because it was so realistic. now that's something said by a high ranking officer that rings true with my experience.
Whomever is responsible for cleaning up that area, something needs to be done, if any long term redevelopment is going to occur on West Broadway. These thugs, gangsters and misfits need to be dealt with, in order to bring people back to the area. If no one does anything, the lack of interest in the area will continue.
To be fair, this is not the only intersection where gangersters and drug dealers loiter constantly. Just go up Lyndale to 22nd Ave to see another problem. I call 911 everyday on this intersection, where 20 to 30 people stand around the corner "waiting for the bus." The problems with liter, drug dealing and other such behavior makes this area completely unliveable.
The problem is severe and long-term. This area has long been a thorn in the side of residents and police alike. There has to be some way to get those loosers out of there.
If anybody who reads this blog would drive by this area whenever they can and call 911, we maybe be able to do good. It is not a total solution, but at least it is a start.
Ah, excellent point about Snow Foods.
Then again...
If the University of Minnesota bought the strip mall where Merwins is, and boarded it, and didn't do anything with it for a year, I'd probably start to gripe about THAT situation. So I don't see the Snow Foods situation as being at all similar to the Merwins situation.
If the U of M bought this strip mall, and left it boarded for a whole year, I would be saying stuff like, "At least you could get a $4.99 bottle of wine there for a nice dinner." The problem I've articulated about Snow Foods was the U took a long time. However, recently they've been doing extensive work on the interior, or so I'm told.
Furthermore, I was in Snow Foods and I never saw glass pipes, etc., being sold there. I"m not saying they never were. I'm saying I never saw that, and I was LOOKING.
As for the discussion you keep trying to bring up about some mysterious police agenda, etc., OH COME ON. The butt fence is a problem, it's been a problem for a long time, the Lieutenant pointed it out in a very public way...
Where's the mysterious hidden agenda? The issue you are trying to bring up is much too large to attach to this particular problem, I think. But if you can articulate further how you think this could all be part of a plot...please explain to me the outlines of the plot.
Furthermore, I'd be very happy to start using this blog to point out businesses that sell, among other things, single cigarettes, brillo pads cut into teeny weeny squares for "very small cleaning jobs," etc.
To some degree, things that get written about on a blog are RANDOM. I was at the Huddle and what Lt. Sauro said was noteworthy and it coincides with my own observations about that butt fence. I've been wanting to launch a "butt fence" criticism for a year, but I held back because, well, it's a businessman trying to make a living.
But when the Fourth Precinct waves the red flag, my instinct is to charge at it. And then a cute headline appears in my mind and, well...things just keep spinning from there.
You think different? You tell me how I'm wrong IN REGARD TO THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION AT MERWINS, not some vague hypothetical abstract that is--what?--supposed to make me suspect nefarious police plots revolving around the butt fence?
focusing on the fact that the fence has places to sit distracts attention from, for instance, why police often just do a "drive by" when you call in to report suspicious activity. the following interaction has a familiar ring to it:
community member: i call 911 when i see open drug dealing/open consumption/whatever by people that i have reason to believe have warrants out on them, but then when the squad comes out, they just drive by, and yet you tell me to keep calling. i'm trying my best to work with you, but i'm starting to wonder, "what's the point?
mpd: don't worry your pretty little head about our procedure--we have much more important things to do. the things that you are calling about are unimportant. and, anyway, it's all the fault of that wall/shrub/the fact we suspect you of only calling 90% of the time and not 100% of the time.
what i'm saying it that i totally "get" that the police are frustrated about not being able to do more due to understaffing, lack of support from the court system, etc., but these kinds of interactions don't increase the willingness of community members to step forward and get involved.
recognizing that two groups may have a lot in common, but still have certain points of divergence doesn't mean that one or the other party has a "nefarious" agenda, and i never suggested that it did.
when it comes to seating, i think that there are a lot of mixed messages going out. one of the University plans for the strip mall is, guess what--open seating. this issue has also come up on our listserve regarding the Bean Scene--some folks think that outdoor seating should be provided. this is a case where i think that there are probably some actual philosophical differences between people who all want the same outcome. i can easily imagine that something that just looks like a headache to the police might very well have looked like an "enhancement" to whoever asked Merwins to build the fence in the first place.
Do they sell fine single-malt scotchs? If so, perhaps we shouldn't be too hasty to condemn here. A comfy respite for the weary traveler is never an unwelcome thing.
First off, I must say I don't envy the owner of Merwin's Liquor in regards to the rampant criminal activity happening on his property at all hours of the day. I'm sure it's not easy to deal with and he seems to have tried. However, he is the owner of said property and ultimately the responsibility of what goes on there falls upon him. If he doesn't like that, he should shut down and get out of the business.
Here's the link to the City Pages article where he wins the coveted Best Liquor Store of 2008 Award: http://www.citypages.com/bestof/2008/award/best-liquor-store-443705/
I especially want to draw attention to this line: "Even better, for those who don't live on the North Side, in October Merwin Liquors began offering free delivery on purchases of at least $25." Guess what they are advertising that way? You don't even have to come to the scary parking lot in order to get your booze!
It's my experience that journalism interns like to find someplace that seems "gritty" and "real" to them and give it a "best of" label without ever understanding what really goes on. Like Stand Up Franks being called the best dive bar in Minneapolis. I bet Johnny A's would have gotten some kind of award if a City Pages judge happened to be there when it got RAIDED.
I have been in the neighborhood for a few years and have patronized this store exactly once (within the time this man has owned it). It was shortly before 8 and I wasn't sure I'd get to another store before closing time. John, your description of hopelessness and filth is right on. A polite cashier couldn't offset the decrepitude prevalent throughout the parking lot and store.
And don't even get me STARTED on check-cashing, payday lending outlets.
The owner gushes about his activity on several non-profit boards, as if that could erase the fact that he sits atop a hole of MISERY in our community. Mr. Dachis, do the right thing and sell to the company building the new YWCA. They know how to put together businesses that deter crime AND are financially viable.
Ah, so I'm guessing that's at least one vote in the "Johnny Shouldn't Apologize To Louis" corner.
But all this stuff about the YWCA...that's intriguing. Anybody who knows more is free to spill more, oh so anonymously.
I would agree, that this liquor store should go. I feel that to really improve the look and feel of the area surrounding the proposed YWCA, this place needs to leave. Move this place across the free to the industrial park. That way people can still get to it, but it will be out of sight.
Johnny, I think you are being pretty unfair here. I can vouch for the fact that the corner in question was horrible before Mr. Dachis bought it. I went into the liquor store once and into the drug store once and never went back. Mr. Dachis stated that the city required him to build the wall and fence. He did what he was asked to do to help solve the problem at that time. Now you are blasting him because for doing that. We have too many businesses who have no interest in solving these problems and do NOTHING!
I also see far too much blame laid at the door of good business owners for what people do outside their businesses. I've known business owners who hired off duty cops because the community asked them to, who hired extra help to pick up litter, who called 9-1-1 many, many times to try to move the riff raff away from their businesses. They received little support and a whole lot of blame from the community. I'm not saying they were always totally blameless, but they were trying very hard.
I remember a conversation with an MPD lieutenant years ago who said it very clearly: When you keep getting condemned despite trying to do the right thing, after a while it's really hard to keep caring and trying to help.
If the city required the wall and fence, then complain to the city.
When we have business people who DO care and are trying to make things better, let's not hang them for what others are doing. It makes other good business owners unwilling to locate here. We are all in this together. The ones who should get the blame are (1) the bad guys who are dealing drugs, loitering, etc., and (2) the court system that refused to penalize them when they commit offenses. Cops get tired of arresting the same people over and over and over again when nothing happens.
In response to this: "First off, I must say I don't envy the owner of Merwin's Liquor in regards to the rampant criminal activity happening on his property at all hours of the day. I'm sure it's not easy to deal with and he seems to have tried. However, he is the owner of said property and ultimately the responsibility of what goes on there falls upon him. If he doesn't like that, he should shut down and get out of the business."
From what I've read here, the criminal activity is not happening on Merwin Liquor property but nearby. By the logic of this commenter, every resident who owns a property where drug dealers or prostitutes have stood on the public sidewalk in front of their house and littered or done drug deals should likewise sell their properties and get out. This logic is crazy. It's a case of blaming the victim out of frustration that we have not yet found a solution that works.
I'm not sure this wall is as causal as you make it sound. Displacement does not solve the problem. These drunks will wander elsewhere, but they'll still be around. Is it the conglomeration that bothers you? You'd rather they be less noticeable, therefore less scary?
Do the police arrest those that break the law by trespassing or loitering? If not, what can Merwin do to keep them away long term?
Sure, Merwin could tear down the wall. But what should he replace it with? A tall wall that no one can sit on, that instead gets tagged every night? A wall with spikes so the owner can get sued by a derelict? A large wrought iron fence that adds a 'prison feel' to the hood?
If the owner gives up and moves away, will a vacant building enhance the community? I'm sure the demand for this property is not super high.
And your last paragraph seems to imply that somehow the owner of this store is responsible for what the neighborhood has turned into. If I had to guess, I would guess that the original owner would have hightailed it out of there as soon as this hood started to decline.
I really don't see the need for all the hostility in this otherwise fruitful discussion. Take a deep breath Johnny.
Put me solidly in the Johnny Ought to Apologize to Mr. Dachis corner.
I've been watching you from my South Mpls 'hood, and I appreciate what you're doing up there. It seems that the owner of Merwin's genuinely cares and he definitely has made great improvements to that corner. I guess I think you've jumped on someone who might have been your ally. You can catch more flies with honey and all that.
In addition, I have shopped there several times and have found Merwin's to be a good liquor store. I have friends who live by North Commons and they really like having it close to home. Merwin's started carrying a product they asked for because they knew they'd purchase it regularly. Oh, and those friends have expensive taste in liquor. Maybe not $1700 cognac, but definitely not Mad Dog.
I see the point being made about what happens on public property in front of a place vs. what happens on privately owned land. BUT...
BAD $H!T HAPPENS IN THE PARKING LOT ALL THE TIME. Yes, much happens on land that Dachis has no control over, but too much happens right in his parking lot.
To the argument that things were bad before he bought the place, well then WHY DID HE BUY IT??? I want businesses to invest here, don't get me wrong. But buying a problem property and doing nothing to address the status quo isn't good enough for my neighborhood.
I'm excited to hear about plans to revamp the old Johnny A's and Stand Up Franks because the new owners are intentional about doing something DIFFERENT. And if it's not successful and the same problems surface, I'll be the first to say they ought to shut down and get out.
I would like to see this business 1) get rid of its predatory check-cashing and payday lending scam, and 2) work with the neighborhood and police on concrete crime-reduction tactics. (One idea would be to move the bus stops off of that corner and to the south and east, thus giving loiterers no faux-legitimate reason to hang around)
But if he's been here five years and has failed to accomplish anything substantive in crime-reduction then my confidence is not high that things will change now.
We can have a dialogue here and privately while still expressing our strong views in a civilized fashion. But Johnny, do a favor to the upstanding residents of NoMi and do NOT apologize for your stance on this issue!
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