Change Local Policy to Promote Health, Safety & Quality of Life
Make Health Happen ESTL has been working to cultivate health since 2015 by addressing food access. While East St. Louis has an abundance of SNAP vendors, they have limited quality fresh food vendors. Community has expressed challenges that go far beyond putting quality food on the shelves of small retailers as barriers to access, citing crime and safety concerns.
The current corner store environment does little to improve access to affordable quality foods. Such an environment has proven to be untenable, contributing to an unhealthy, unsafe and blighted community landscape that promotes crime and stifles long term economic opportunities for residents.
Best practice from around the country suggests that pursuing reform both through licensing and zoning creates more enforceable oversight of alcohol outlets to effectively reduce crime, violence and underage drinking.
Addressing Alcohol & Violence
Comparison data for St. Clair county and off-premise retailers demonstrates that while ESTL is not the most populous city, it has by far the most off-premise retails per population.
Objective | Change city policy/code specific to liquor store density and negative messaging in corner stores
Regulate alcohol outlet density through licensing and zoning processes - limit number of stores based on geographic area or population.
Establish a cap on the percentage of liquor stores based on the total number of businesses in an area.
Regulate alcohol related marketing (windows, building signage, billboards)
Enforce minimum legal drinking age law: Develop strategies to reduce the sale to minors through enforcement and education and training of police and retail stores.
Create more accountability for illegal sales practices.
Increase zoning limitations on proximity to schools, youth based centers and churches.
Average Distance from Housing
Average Distance to Liquor Stores from Public Housing: 0.4 miles
Average Distance to ESTL Grocery/Fresh Food Stores: 2.96 miles
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
47% of all homicides can be attributed to alcohol consumption
Each additional alcohol outlet in a census tract is associated with MORE violent crime.
Increased Physical Availability of Alcohol is associated with:
Homicide | Sexual Assault | Aggravated Assault | Underage Drinking | Hospital Admissions | Suicide | Robbery | Alcohol Use Disorders | Intimate Partner Violence | Motor Vehicle Crashes
Business practices associated with increased violence:
Longer Operating Hours
Single Serves
Advertising
SOURCE: Baltimore Good Neighbors Coalition.
Stores with East St. Louis Crime Heat Maps - Illinois State Police
CALL TO ACTION
AWARENESS:
Have a member come speak to your organization
CONTACT:
Elected officials (city and state) calling for change
REPORT:
Anonymously report questionable activity (Contact Us to learn how)
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD:
Attend a City Council meeting and/or Liquor Commission Hearing
JOIN:
Participate in continued development of an action plan and move the plan forward
On-Premise Outlets (Bars & Restaurants)
3.1% more crime per additional establishment
Off-Premise Outlets (Liquor Stores)
4.8% more crime per additional store
SOURCE: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2019
Zoning & Policy
Regulating Alcohol Outlets Protect Public Health, Safety & Quality of Life
Regulate alcohol outlet density through licensing and zoning processes - limit number of stores based on geographic area or population.
Establish a cap on the percentage of liquor stores based on the total number of businesses in an area.
Enforce minimum legal drinking age law.
Regulate alcohol related marketing (windows, building signage, billboards).
Create more accountability for illegal sales practices.
Consider zoning limitation based on proximity to schools, youth based centers and churches.