Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Baltimore Businesses Have Had Enough

Baltimore businesses have had enough of crime and are threatening to withhold their taxes.  The Baltimore Sun reported: 

More than 30 business and restaurant owners in Fells Point are threatening to withhold taxes if city leaders do not address crime, trash and other issues they say are plaguing the waterfront neighborhood.

The group sent a letter to Baltimore officials Tuesday — two days after three people were shot in the popular and historic nightlife destination early Sunday morning — complaining about blatant drug sales, public drinking and other problems they say are happening in plain sight while police are handcuffed from enforcing the law.

The letter bemoans a “culture of lawlessness” that allows the " the kinds of violence and tragedy we witnessed (over the weekend).”

The letter is a sharp response not only to the violence of the weekend, but also to the policies of State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who earlier this year announced that she will no longer prosecute a host of crimes, including drug possession, public drinking and urination, and trespassing, among others. It also comes as the police department faces mounting questions from residents about its strategies to quell violence as homicides and non-fatal shootings remain at high levels....

The letter points particularly at what the business and restaurant owners say are the very public crimes taking place nightly that discourage people from visiting the neighborhood and hurts their ability to keep businesses running.

“These are not concealed, clandestine operations by sophisticated gangs with suppliers and lookouts. These are brazen individuals who conduct their business in plain sight because they know Baltimore City will do nothing to prevent or punish them,” the letter read. “This hurts the family fabric and tourist value of the community.”

After dark, crowds show up with coolers of alcohol and sell drinks on the streets, the owners said, and people advertise their homemade cocktails on Instagram. Some restaurant workers say they routinely see kids drinking, and that’s when the fights break out.

“It’s completely uncontrolled,” said Lance Sovine, who owns the E.C. Pops, a Maryland- and Pride-themed gift shop on South Broadway Street.

Sovine said he used to close the shop at midnight, doing about a third of its sales from a late-night crowd in the last four hours. Those sales, however, aren’t enough for Sovine to keep the doors open after dark. Now he closes at 8 p.m., he said.

“We see it. We know it’s happening. Yet our elected officials are turning a blind eye to it,” Sovine said. Rest of article.

  

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonder if this will get any coverage on CNN, MSNBC and the like? Even CNBC won't cover this, and this is right in their wheelhouse. If businesses/citizens begin withholding taxes for services non-rendered....uh oh, civilization will collapse.

Anonymous said...

Good! You know I drive through Jackson daily and think about the function of government, Safety, water, and streets. These folks have NONE of that! I am not bashing Jackson , but the taxpayers are NOT getting what they are paying for. I applaud the business owners in this article, perhaps folks will follow suit around here.

Anonymous said...

10:30 You haven't been to Baltimore (or Jackson) recently. Civilization has already collapsed.

anonamouse said...

If I owned a business in Jacktown I would certainly do this.

Anonymous said...

Those business owners should stop complaining and petition their government for another round of stimulus including their business losses. What's the problem? We can always print more money.

Santa (D) Maryland

Anonymous said...

I can't understand why or how a business owner puts themselves at risk in cities such as Baltimore or Jackson, MS. It is difficult enough in a good environment.

Anonymous said...

June 16, 2021 at 10:34 AM
This is because the voters in Jackson are electing people on the color of their skin. Plain & simple.

Anonymous said...

I also don’t want to pay taxes.

Anonymous said...

The whole area within the "D.C." burbs is one large cesspool. Has been since I was stationed there in the early 90's. Ocean City was barely holding on then. Sad really but it is what it is. Satan is locked in and ain't letting go anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

Everyone in Jackson will be murdered by nightfall.

Demons will possess their bodies and eat them from inside out leaving only toenails.

All business will implode and die instantly.

Jackson is sinking into a pit of dead fetuses and everyone is drinking the frothy residue.

But Jackson will soon have a bowling alley!

Anonymous said...

Just watch "The Wire" to understand Baltimore...and sadly, Jackson...

As "Slim Charles" said in an episode of "The Wire", "The thing about the old days: They the old days."

Anonymous said...

@11:50a- I'm with you. I try to sympathize with the fact that they may be in debt and do not feel they can close or move their business. But then I start thinking about their general liability rates (if they can even find an insurer), extra security measures, extreme infrastructure issues, the constant stress and fear, and on and on. Like you said, it's hard enough to run a profitable business in a good environment. Why in the world do they stay?!? How in the world is their business sustaining?!

If it weren't for the few things I can only get at Whole Foods, I would never stop/step foot in a business in Jackson. It's not worth the risk of theft or damage to my vehicle or myself. There's no food in the city limits that I can't match or beat somewhere else. It really is the saddest thing. And before anyone pounces back with "it could happen anywhere," the reality is yes, it could; but if it happens in Rankin or Madison counties I have the comfort of knowing the criminals will actually 1. be caught, and 2. be justly prosecuted.

I read this article on Baltimore last week. Good for these business owners for coordinating their efforts! I wonder though, would Jackson even be able to gather enough business owners that are conservative enough (and fed up enough) to want to stand up to Drake?

Anonymous said...

10:34 nailed it!

Anonymous said...

@12:48 PM - The Wire is so accurate that I can't figure out how it got released without the Hollywood left-wing progressives stopping its release.

Anonymous said...

Much ado about nothing.

Serious Business left Jackson about 31 years ago.
However, if one has a plan for a 24/7 gas station ... they might make a living wage.

(Provided they sell the latest drug paraphernalia,speak Hindi, Pakistani, or a few words of Arabic ... and can protect their store from MDOT construction equipment).

Anonymous said...

Let all the Democrats live together in one place and all the republicans in the other. After 1 year let’s count up all the crime stats, tax base, unemployment numbers, etc. Winner gets to implement their strategy for the whole nation. Sounds fair. Just a good ole fashion winner takes all. Since Democrats think they are so much smarter than republicans, this should be an easy win for them. Right?

Anonymous said...

@12:48 PM - The Wire is so accurate that I can't figure out how it got released without the Hollywood left-wing progressives stopping its release.

Who the hell do you think wrote the show? LMAO!!!!

You talking about the accuracy, while ignoring the subtle messages in regards to the shows message on racism and drug trade and how it all correlates to poverty and crime. SMH

Anonymous said...

I’d like to say I agreed with businesses withholding their tax payments for the lack of safety. And I’m pretty sure there hundreds of cities across America right now who feel the same. But I can think of nothing that would please these hyper liberal city councils than businesses that are delinquent on their taxes. Yes one would think that any normal sitting government would want their tax base to increase. But things have gone over the deep end in this country. Some left leaning community leaders are more interested in forcing racial equality and wokeness down the public’s throat even if none is present.

Anonymous said...

@ 7:18am

But things have gone over the deep end in this country. Some left leaning community leaders are more interested in forcing racial equality and wokeness down the public’s throat even if none is present.

How is that any different than the right with Christianity and stopping abortion?

Democracy is fragile as fuck and we gotta start seeking common ground.

Anonymous said...

11:05pm for President.

I have been saying that for years.

Anonymous said...

I find it very laughable that all the "progressives" (Donna Ladd & Jerry Mitchell types) that constantly cry racism (1) Is the reason Jackson has no water (2) Is the reason Jackson's crime rate is soaring (3) Is the reason that Jackson neighborhoods are in shambles (4) Is the reason Jackson's schools are failing and yada, yada, yada.

1.Lets see Jackson has been controlled by Black Dim-O-Kratss since the mid 90's
2.Jackson is 85%+ black, so they control all election outcomes ( You know less than 20K votes for mayor in last election)
3.The mayor and 5 of city commissioners are black and control the city government
4.Most all city Department heads are black, as most of city workers
5.The mayor is running out of letters in the alphabet naming commissions & programs to solve city issues and problems, which means they'll have to soon switch to the Greek alphabet to continue with names and that'll really throw them for a loop
6.By the time you read this in JJ at least another 500 people will moved out of Jackson and probably 2 more murders will have happened
7.All the NE Jackson/Fondren progressive residents will call true facts concerning Jackson racist

Anonymous said...

To all the looney leftist & liberals who keep mealy-mouthing that people on JJ are bashing Jackson when true facts are presented.......

Do you realize that no one has to bash Jackson?

Jackson does it's on bashing on a daily basis, but then you snowflakes that accept daily life in Jackson since you live there have no rocks to throw!!!!

Get over it.


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