On the message and order, referred on March 30, 2022, Docket #0435, Petition for a Special Law re: An act authorizing the City of Boston to grant four additional licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the specified premises, the committee submitted a report recommending the petition ought to pass in a new draft. The report was accepted; the petition was passed in a new draft; yeas 13.
04350435 Counsel Inclusion. And may he offer the following petition for a special law reenact path raising the city of Boston to grant four additional licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the specified premises. The chair recognizes counsel. Eugene Constitution. Two of the four. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to my co-sponsor, councilor and me here on this petition. This is a homo petition for four additional liquor licenses at the bowling building. So place restricted. Liquor license is historically this body. And as the city, we know how hard it has been to get liquor licenses for our communities, especially in our black and brown communities, because of how expensive the liquor licenses are. And so this would be our request for four nontransferable and restricted licenses. In the past, we've attempted to get a lot more dispersed around the city, and we have failed even when the mayor has tried. So this is just a precaution before a liquor license, as we hope to in the future, work towards getting more liquor licenses to our neighborhoods. But this is just after the bowling building. We had some great businesses in that area in Roxbury that could really benefit from having those licenses. We also know that our colleague, Councilor Fernand Anderson, has been doing really great work in D7 and this would really help the businesses in her district and make sure that they're able to make more money and revitalize help to continue to revitalize the Nubian Square area with these liquor licenses. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Constitution. Would anyone else like to speak on this matter? The chair recognizes. Councilman. Here, Councilman, here. You have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you to my co-sponsor. We look forward to the opportunity to partner with the administration on securing four additional site specific liquor licenses located right in the heart of Roxbury. The council has had in the past voted to pass on all petitions to allow site specific liquor licenses, which has greatly benefit communities . The Charles River Speedway administrative building is a great example of that. This is an opportunity for not only to provide for additional liquor licenses to the Roxbury neighborhood, but hopefully this is also an opportunity for us to explore in greater detail the issue that this body has taken up many times, which is an equitable distribution of liquor licenses across the city. And I want to acknowledge our sister and service now, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, when she was on the council fight ferociously on making sure that our city had a real representation of liquor licenses. Unfortunately, a lot of those did not end up and in Mattapan and Dorchester and other parts of our most distressed neighborhoods . So I'm hoping that this is just the beginning of the revolution. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Here, the chair recognizes Councilor Fernandez Anderson, Counsel Fernandez. Anderson, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. Let me say for the record that I appreciate the nuances involved as it pertains to the issue of liquor licenses. Said licenses do create a degree of economic viability for restaurants. But let me also state to quote an old adage, that man does not live by bread alone. Simply stated, my deeply felt religious views and customs place me in a position of opposition, the partaking of spirits. As a practicing Muslim, we believe that the consumption of alcohol is a decision that is detrimental to health and well-being. However, recognizing the significance of this issue to many of our esteemed small business owners, I have stepped aside and allowed or not allowed but welcomed my sister. Join me here and Rosi Lucia to file in my stead. Hence, there is a duality at play here for yours truly, where the importance of economical and spiritual realms are direct , indirect confrontation for me. And while I recognize that the economic realm is a great concern, I cannot compromise my core tenets of spiritual beliefs and hence compromise an essential aspect of my being. Furthermore, while acknowledging that alcohol sales do constitute an engine to economic empowerment for restaurant tours, I believe that there is a plethora of healthier society , societally more appropriate ways to grow economy. I hope that such alternatives can be discussed and implemented, and as time progresses, we can work together to develop them. But for now, I stand strongly on my spiritual beliefs. Thank you. Thank you, Counsel Fernandez. Innocent. Would anyone else like to speak on this matter? Docket 0435 will be referred to the Committee on Government Operations. Mr. Clarke, please. We talk in. 04360436 Council as Council agreed and offer the following order for a hearing on the state of Boston's non-governmental, nonprofit social sector and charting a post-pandemic recovery.