The Blue Hills Neighborhood Association, BHNA, is asking that Family Dollar withdraw its application to sell liquor at the 5440 Prospect Avenue location (Store #29237) for the reasons listed below.

• Family Dollar represents itself as a distributor of general household merchandise and food, and as such attracts patrons of all ages, including the very young and very old. It is a much needed establishment in the Blue Hills Neighborhood and it can continue to be profitable without the selling of alcoholic beverages.
• There are several businesses within two (2) blocks of Family Dollar which are licensed to sell liquor.  Our residents need and deserve more family oriented businesses.
• Residents of the Blue Hills Neighborhood are continuously challenged with safety and cleanliness issues.  With another establishment licensed to sell liquor, residents will be facing the assumption that what happens in the Blue Hills Neighborhood is not consequential to the larger urban community.  That could not be further from the truth!
• Studies show that neighborhoods with higher concentrations of liquor stores also have higher rates of felonious assaults, auto thefts, underage drinking, alcohol-related hospitalizations, vagrancy, drunken driving accidents, pedestrian injuries and domestic violence
• At least 14 long-term studies have found that the more young people are exposed to alcohol advertising and marketing, the more likely they are to drink, or if they are already drinking, to drink more.
• Studies have found that  liquor stores are disproportionately located in predominantly black census tracts, even after controlling for census tract socioeconomic status. Census tracts that are both low income and predominantly African-American have substantially more liquor stores per capita than other census tracts and have the worst health outcomes and highest mortality rates from homicide.

Please stand with us as we continue to build a safe, cohesive neighborhood that fosters better health outcomes, improved educational opportunity and positive well-being of our residents. Sign our petition and invite others to do so as well.