Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-16
Give Citizens a Chance

A license application for another
liquor store on Macarthur boulevard
has added fuel to fire of civic resent
nent over ABC Board policies that are
seriously handicapping citizens in max
ing effective protests in such cases. AS
a result Of what Board Chairman
Alan Payne calls Determination of
the law" the Alcoholic Beverage Control
Board is requiring civic organizations
and other community groups to present
more complete" evidence of community
sentiment against prospective ncensee.
But board procedures impose almost in
Superable obstacles in the way Of the
professors.
For example, the board recently
granted license for liquor establish
ment on Macarthur boulevard despite
objections by the Palisades Citizens
Association, which presented a petition
Of protest signed by 440 residents of the
neighborhood. The board explained that
its own survey of the "neighborhood"
disclosed that there were 1,700 adult
residents who would be affected by the
store and that the petitioners therefore
did not represent majority sentiment.
Since the Palisades association had en-
countered no such surveys or rulings In
previous successful efforts to block
liquor-Store intrusionS in its area, the
board announcement came as shock.
There had been no public statement by
the board about its Determination of
the law" and its conclusion that more
evidence must be submitted to make
protests effective.
We think the board should re-
examine its own policies and procedures,
for the purpose of better protecting the
interests Of the general public In the
first place, the board was inviting public
criticism when 1t failed to announce
formally its change of position regard
ing the presentation of petitions and
civic resolutions. This was tantamount
to policy change Of widespread impor-
lance to the community. The commu-
nifty and especially the civic groups that
are trying to protect their communities
from undesirable businesses have a right
to know Of any such drastic move and
to be heard on the subject.
In the second place, under present
board procedures, citizens of commu-
nifty are not afforded a fair chance to
voice their opposition to license they
regard as undesirable This is because
they have no way in advance of the
actual hearing on license to know how
many signatures to a protest petition
will be persuasive to the board. The
board makes its own survey Of the area,
fixes arbitrarily the "neighborhood"
boundaries within which signatures to
a petition will be considered valid and
announces these boundaries and popu-
lation estimates at the hearing. This is
after the citizens have presented their
petitions. This system leaves the citi-
zens completely in the dark as to the
area they should canvass and the num-
Der OF protesting residents they must
line up in order to persuade the ABC
Board that majority of community
sentiment opposes particular license.
We do not believe that Congress, in
setting up the ABC Board to control the
liquor traffic in Washington, intended
that citizens and civic groups should be
treated in this fashion. While the board
is justified In requiring substantial evil
dence of community sentiment in liquor
license cases, it should not interpose
unreasonable procedural or other OBJ
StacleS In the way of residents wishing
to make their objections effective.