Wilmington City Council passed a resolution Thursday encouraging the General Assembly to allow municipalities with at least 50 thousand residents to enact stricter regulations on liquor stores.
City Council adopted Councilmember Shané Darby’s resolution last week 7-0 with six absent.
Several studies find there are more liquor stores in low-income areas with higher populations of people of color due to property value and resistance from residents in high-income, more white areas.
Darby’s district includes part of Market Street, which has several liquor stores – three within a two-block radius in Darby’s part of Market.
“I don't want anyone to feel like I want to ban liquor stores…” Darby said. “But I just think it's exploitative, and it's oversaturating our neighborhoods. And it's basically poison that we're feeding our community when we have liquor, unhealthy food, fried chicken, hookah stores all within a two-block, three-block radius of our community.”
Councilmember Latisha Bracy co-sponsored the resolution and said she wants to support the communities seeing an oversaturation of liquor stores.
“I think this is great, and it's long overdue,” Bracy said.
Areas with more alcohol available also see more alcohol consumption. That consumption can lead to higher levels of violence, which are more likely to be felt by low-income families and individuals, according to a 2017 data brief from Drexel University’s Urban Health Collaborative.
If the General Assembly passes legislation allowing certain municipalities to enact more restrictive ordinances, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner of Delaware would have to reject licenses that violate local ordinances, even if they don’t violate state law.
Councilmember Coby Owens also supported the resolution and said he sees the effects of liquor stores in his district, which includes the north side of Market Street.
“These same liquor stores almost every week are the same liquor stores that have a ton of trash out there,” Owens said. “They let people just sit out there all day long, and it's just not helpful to the community, as we are trying to have a strong and healthy community over our way.”
Darby clarified any new legislation won’t apply to liquor stores that are grandfathered in, but she wants to control the future of liquor stores in her district and beyond.
The resolution includes a draft House bill for the General Assembly to consider.
