Open-Air Drinking On Morse Avenue Continues

Alderman Joe Moore just doesn't get it. The pressure he's been putting on Soo Liquors at 1420 W. Morse Avenue in Rogers Park (between Glenwood and Greenview) is not working very well.

The Bench photographed the proof (no pun intended) of this failure yesterday. A couple of the local street "regulars," as the 24th District police call them, were hanging on the sidewalk in front of the troubled location in the middle of the afternoon. They were getting their drink on in full view of everybody. Finished with the Busch beer, the can was casually dropped into the gutter.

Look up Soo Liquors on Yelp.com and you'll find this darkly amusing description:

"Soo Liquors is the location of many gangbangers and hardcore drug dealers on Morse Avenue. It's very close to the Morse El Redline [sic] stop and CTA bus service. It's also locked up like a prison when it's closed. They killed all of the trees in front of thier [sic] storefront a few years back. When new trees and flowers were replanted, they were also quickly stomped down. Go to Soo Liquors if you are looking for the most violent way to purchase packaged goods."

That's a bit rough. Soo Liquors is not to blame for 40 years of paying single women to have babies. Soo Liquors is not responsible for paying welfare to slackers who would rather drink on the sidewalk than get a job. Soo Liquors is not to blame for the lowered sense of shame, pride and social responsibility. Soo Liquors is not to blame for the mentally ill people who cannot fend for themselves but are allowed to walk the mean streets alone. Soo Liquors is not responsible for the still brisk narcotics street trade in Rogers Park. It's not Soo Liquors.

No, Leftist government policies, programs and propaganda are largely to blame. Soo Liquors is as much a victim of this as anybody else is. Alderman Joe Moore is part of the Liberal Elite that has cultivated this Cretin Culture, and like his Fellow Travelers, Moore just doesn't get it.

Nice work, Mr. Moore. When will you and your elitist 49th Ward Democrat Party fuckups, and your stooges at DevCorp North, realize that the problem is not Soo Liquors but, rather, the gutter culture that crawls along Morse Avenue and decades of empowering that culture that your comrades are guilty of?

RELATED:
A Can of Colt 45 is a Can of Colt 45
Morse Avenue Update: Soo Liquors, Omelettes
Soo Liquors Best and Worst Customer

Joe Moore's Morse Avenue Power Trip

Yesterday, Joe Moore finally wandered into the Grill Inn restaurant at 1422 W. Morse Avenue. It's about time. The place opened nearly half a year ago.

Recap: Moore was not alone. He was walking around on Morse Avenue with a uniformed police officer, "a top cop" as my source put it. "His name sounded like Curtis or something." Did the source mean "Caluris," the new 24 District commander? "Yah, I think so, yah," said reliable source. (More about this here...)

After visiting Grill Inn, and asking them how long they've been open (Moore had to sign off on their business license), the 49th Ward Alderman went next door to Soo Liquors.

The Bench spoke to Soo's manager Mr. Kim this afternoon. He said that Moore came into the liquor store with Commander Caluris and "a Hispanic woman" from Moore's aldermanic office. Seems they were making sure that Soo Liquors was living up to their recent agreement to stop selling certain items, including "cheap" booze under $3.00, malt liquor of any kind (although you can still get 40 ounce Budweiser and Miller for under $3.50). Also on the list of items not to be sold at Soo Liquors are "blunts," which refers to any small cigar. These small cigars are often hollowed out and filled with marijuana, and are often smoked on the street.

So, rather than accept responsibility for decades of failed social experiments that Moore and his fellow Democrats have so enthusiastically imposed on us, we get quickly applied bandages to gaping wounds. More on that here...

DevCorp North Loves Soo Liquors

DevCorp North must love infamous Soo Liquors on Morse Avenue.

Sure, they and Alderman Joe Moore recently strong armed Soo into taking down their hanging, illuminated sign.

But apparently DevCorp has sentimental feelings for the now missing sign.

Why else would they feature it on the cover of their current magazine?

A Can of Colt 45 is a Can of Colt 45

Joe Moore and liquor stores just seem to go together. He takes their money for his campaign chest, then pretends that he's tough on them. What a lousy actor this Alderman Joe Moore is. In Rogers Park, Soo Liquors is infamous on troubled W. Morse Avenue for loitering scumbags. Recently, Alderman Moore "got tough" with the liquor store. But his tough act is the stuff of wimp legend, and it ain't flying in the 49th Ward. We've seen this bullshit before. From this week's News-Star: The storeowners are also required to attend monthly CAPS beat meetings, join the business and economic development corporation for Rogers Park DevCorp North, and buy an awning sign. The memorandum does not name a specific time period that Soo Liquors has to get the business under control. Last Thursday, News-Star visited Soo Liquors and purchased a 24-ounce can of Colt 45 malt liquor and a $2.99 bottle of cheap rum. When asked why the store was still selling malt liquor after the owners agreed not to, the store manager said that "Colt 45 was OK" because it had slightly less alcohol content than other brands. The store manager also said that the $2.99 price for a cheap half-pint did not apply because it came out to $3.51 with tax. FULL ARTICLE by Lorraine Swanson...

Morse Avenue Update: Soo Liquors, Omelettes

Where did Soo Liquors's hanging sign go? The notorious landmark has disappeared. Not the liquor store, which a hangout for hoodlums and drunks. Just the sign.

The Bench spoke to a manager at Soo Liquors this afternoon. He said, in broken English, that Alderman Joe Moore (Democrat, 49th Ward) "forced" him to take it down. A representative of DevCorp was in the alderman's office when Soo Liquors was told that their sign permit would not be renewed, and that they must replace it with an awning similar to those of nearby merchants.

Soo Liquors is still there. The problem was never the sign. It was the single 40-ounce cans of malt liquor and other inexpensive booze. One DevCorp representative opined that things would be much better if Soo Liquor "only sold fine wines." But even with the sign gone, the real problems continue, as the photo of the 40-ouncer discarded in the gutter directly in front of Soo Liquors demonstrates.

If you want to make an omelette, you need to break a few eggs. We've all heard this. But the ham handed people in the Alderman's office seem to think that throwing the eggs against the wall is a great way to start. It's not. It just gets egg all over everything, and nothing really gets accomplished.

If Alderman Moore and DevCorp think that window dressing - literally - is the solution to the problem of Soo Liquors, they are tragically mistaken. And here's a shocker: The problem is not really Soo Liquors. It's the shitheads that hang out there, loitering and drinking on the sidewalk. But the last time I checked, it is not the responsibility of the merchants (including Soo Liquors) to shoo away the loiterers. The police are well aware of the problem, and it is their job to stop and disperse. It is the alderman's job to make sure the police do this. A liquor store is not a bad thing per se. Circumstances such as location, adherence to age laws, and the maturity of the surrounding neighbors make all the difference.

Joe Moore and Company have spent 16 plus years encouraging a population that cannot handle its liquor, does not know how to behave civilly, and raises children who continue these traditions.

Meanwhile, expect a glowing email anytime now from Alderman Moore that brags about the removal of the evil sign. You may be tempted to laugh. Crying, however, would be more appropriate.