Our community has too many liquor stores, beauty shops, dollar stores, and auto-related businesses. And now, a developer wants to put in a liquor store in the closed Walgreens at Covington and Hairston, 5395 Covington Highway, Stone Mountain, Ga. We deserve a diversity of businesses that cater to a wider array of interests and necessities. This isn't a fight against existing businesses, but a plea for balance.

Studies, such as one by the Georgia State University Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, show that communities with a high density of liquor stores often experience increased crime rates and suffer from lower residential property values.  We already have more than 120 places where you can buy alcohol within a five-mile radius of the Walgreens site.  This is not the vision for our community we aspire to; we want a neighborhood that fosters safety, prosperity, and variety.

We're not just resisting another liquor store; we are advocating for new and innovative businesses—cafés, high-quality grocery stores, sit-down restaurants, bookstores, family-friendly entertainment venues, and local artisan shops—that can transform our community into a vibrant, safe, and inviting environment.

By opposing yet another liquor store, we are advocating for a future where our neighborhood flourishes through diverse businesses. These businesses can enrich our daily lives and strengthen our community's sense of identity and belonging.

If you agree that our community deserves better, sign this petition to say "No" to another liquor store and "Yes" to a more diverse and vibrant future. Together, we can influence the change we want to see.