As a kid that grew up in Los Angeles, I have seen the story that played out at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
Let’s sell drugs just outside the high school because the district can’t do anything. We will carry guns to make sure we protect our product and cash. In addition, we will imply favors for city leaders or make their lives difficult. It is the exact playbook every gang used to sell drugs in the 80s.
Marijuana is now legal and people can establish store or dispensaries in the city of Martinez. But the playbook is the same as the city council voted for Embarc. Amazing, I literally had a flashback, except my friends would be considered great city leaders and civic-minded if they were doing business now. Who woulda thunk?
I guess we learn to justify our past mistakes and still not do the right thing. Having the store this close to Alhambra High and so visible to our students as they go to school doesn’t make sense to a community that values children.
The site is a horrible place if you care at all for kids. When does it make sense to discuss bullet proof glass and additional security in a building less 1,100 feet from over 1,200 students?
If dispensaries are okay, why can’t they be placed on Main Street or Ferry Street? Could it be because there is a negative connotation with them? If this idea is so good put the dispensary on Main and Ferry, there is a building available right now with a huge safe.
I am glad council is willing to protect our downtown property and business owners. Shouldn’t our students be given the same respect. Oh wait, our students can’t donate to campaigns or vote, so they are expendable.
It is just a sign of the times that business greed outweighs doing what is best for the community. Our city leaders have sold out the community value of our students in exchange for the potential dollar. And all under the guise of it being good for the community.
This playbook did not work out well for the communities of L.A. in the 80s and it won’t work well for Martinez and its children in 2020. It is really as simple as that.
– John Fuller