Thanks for this helpful contribution. You mentioned market demands, which bring up a few questions for me. I wonder, is there currently any positive costumer base patronizing Sandy's? I have heard a few people say they have never shopped there bcs of the problems, and respect that. At the same time, a business' most natural points of leverage are their workers and their customers. If the workers are mainly family (as I believe is the case) and not likely to go against the owners, and the customers are solely the dealers and trouble-makers, then what is the point of leverage to force changes? What they care about is making money, not necessarily being good neighbors. When goodwill itself isn't enough (as seems to be the case, here) there needs to be a threat and/or a promise. When writing a complaint to a company, I always state "I am a customer, and.." or "I was a loyal customer until..." The threat being "and I won't be a customer if you continue X" and the promise being "and I will stay/come back if you change X." If there is no one shopping at Sandy's for wholesome reasons, that is out as a leverage point. They can't be threatened with loss of income if they weren't getting any (from positive products), anyway. So what leverage points exist as neighbors? I can think of a few, like "I'm a neighbor, and I'm going to sit on my porch and call the police whenever X happens" or "I'm a neighbor, and I'm going to organize a publicized protest outside your door." But, from those involved in this action, if the liquor license can't be legally revoked and Sandy's must be dealt with as-is, what are the "neighbor but not customer" leverage points here?
-----Original Message----- From: neighborhood-bounces@highlandpark.pgh.pa.us [mailto:neighborhood-bounces@highlandpark.pgh.pa.us] On Behalf Of Michael P. Johnson Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 9:02 PM To: Highland Park Neighborhood mailing list Subject: [Highland Park] Sandy's Deli: Class and Race, and Means and Ends
Hi all,
I've been following the discussion about Sandy's Deli for awhile and thought I'd add my two cents. I know the Highland Park residents who are most identified with the campaign to restrict liquor sales at Sandy's Deli and know they are fighting the good fight to improve their block. I also know that their concern is with bad behavior in and around Sandy's Deli, not the persons who are committing the bad behavior. Being against loitering and suspected drug dealing is not being against young black men.
I also know that these residents are not simply advocating for middle-class propriety in a struggling section of Highland Park; they are not advocating replacing Sandy's Deli with a flower shop. They would like to see the new operators of Sandy's Deli sell a mix of food and drink that appeals to the broad diversity of the neighborhood around their store. Indeed, residential redevelopment efforts on Mellon Street by the Highland Park Community Development Corporation and East Liberty Development, Inc. may eventually change the local market for convenience foods to such an extent that Sandy's Deli will have to adapt or lose money.
There may not be sufficient legal grounds to remove the liquor license from Sandy's Deli. If this is the case, I hope that interested residents can engage the future operators of Sandy's Deli in dialogue, in private as well as in public, about how to work with the neighborhood, not against it.
Michael
Michael P. Johnson Associate Professor of Management Science and Urban Affairs H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management Carnegie Mellon University 2107C Hamburg Hall, 4800 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 t: 412-268-4270 f: 412-268-7036 e: johnson2@andrew.cmu.edu w: http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/researchers/faculty/johnson2.html
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