WASHINGTON — A Southeast D.C. community is protesting the renewal of a liquor store’s license, Mart Liquor, on the corner of Malcolm X Blvd. and Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Southeast.
Dozens of people gathered outside the liquor store Wednesday evening in protest. However, it’s more than the liquor license they're concerned about, it’s the trash, crime, and loitering community members said are associated with all of the liquor stores in the corridor.
“This is a community that is saturated with liquor stores and looking at the DC Health Equity Report published by Mayor Bowser it says that areas that are suffering from low economic development are at high risk of violence when they also are coupled with saturated, high alcohol density institutions,” Salim Adofo, Chairperson for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C said. “And so what we see is there are about seven liquor stores in this corridor and we looked at the MPD crime data and within 2,000 feet of this liquor store, there has been one murder every 90 days.”
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) crime data shows there have been 25 homicides in the three-quarter-mile radius surrounding Mart Liquor over the last two years.
Adofo said of community members have expressed concerns with the loitering and drug activity they believe happens outside the liquor store.
“Substance abuse is a huge problem in this community and this store contributes to the substance abuse problems that we have by making it readily available to people who are oppressed,” Adofo said. “But there's a plethora of liquor stores in this area. So, when you walk by, you're not passing by a fruit stand, you're not passing by a grocery store, you're passing by a liquor store. And then you go a few feet and there’s another liquor store.”
Adofo stated that the community needs a bank, grocery store, and health care options for the members of the community.
“And so our goal is to be able to work with all the businesses in the community and have them be good partners and be a contributor to the success of the community and not be something that takes away from the success of the community,” Adofo said.
Adofo told WUSA9 the ANC will protest every liquor license renewal in an effort to force them into mediation so the stores can take responsibility in keeping the area surrounding it clean and control loitering and security issues.
WUSA9 reached out to employees of Mart Liquor and they declined to comment on the issue.
