Tainted ABC Enforcement Director Boyce Hamlet has indicated that he will manufacture a case against a minority owned outlet that has been in operation many years.
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| HARPREET KAUR, OWNER OF PIC-PAC LIQUOR |
Hamlet told a reporter for KATV that it’s no mystery that the store that sits on 12th Street in Little Rock has a violent past, a reference to the store being in a predominantly a black, lower-income area.
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| THE STRIP MALL ON 12TH STREET WHERE PIC-PAC LIQUOR IS LOCATED |
“The community made us aware that there were some issues in the past at the 12th Street location, so we have been working with various outlets in that location to get some formal complaints. We have had some level of success there,” said Hamlet.
In response to a Freedom of information request we made to the ABC for valid complaints about Pic-Pac for the last two years, the ABC could only provide one document for a violation, and it was from an entrapment operation on May 6, 2016 where the ABC violated A.C.A. § 3-3-203 by using minors to try and purchase alcoholic beverages. One violation in the last two years certainly makes this a dangerous outlet. The ABC breaks the law each time that they use and encourage a minor to purchase alcoholic beverages as A.C.A. § 3-3-203 makes no exception for law enforcement purposes.
Hamlet also told KATV that, “in the area, in general, there are loitering problems. 12th Street is a high crime area. If you have a demonstrated history of being a bad neighbor, and it’s on a regular basis, and we have the ability to demonstrate you don’t have the ability to be a good neighbor, you are going to have to answer for it."
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| THE ONE AND ONLY VIOLATION FOR PIC-PAC IN THE ABC FILES |
Hamlet also told KATV that, “in the area, in general, there are loitering problems. 12th Street is a high crime area. If you have a demonstrated history of being a bad neighbor, and it’s on a regular basis, and we have the ability to demonstrate you don’t have the ability to be a good neighbor, you are going to have to answer for it."
More hyprocrisy from an individual that is a "bad neighbor" himself.
Hamlet has a demonstrated and verified history of being careless with firearms and has had several stolen from vehicles parked in his driveway.
We understand that he now keeps a fully automatic rifle in the state vehicle assigned to him and with his extremely poor record of being responsible with firearms, his neighbors and law enforcement in Conway should be very concerned.
It is amazing that Governor Hutchinson is not more concerned about this imbecile that he has appointed to a position that he is clearly not qualified to hold.
Since its not a place like the 1836 Club or the store soon to be opened by Hamlet's close friend Kristen Saffa, Hamlet has it on his shit-list.
Maybe Hamlet should go see the Little Rock Police Department at their nice big (and mostly empty) office just down on 12th Street from Pic-Pac. As a neighbor, perhaps they could tell Hamlet why they can't control crime close to them.
A lot
of residents in this area walk to the strip mall where Pic-Pac and K-W
Food mart is located. Often these stores are locations were area
residents run into each other and visit and discuss matters.
From news reports about incidents in the strip mall, it appears that it is individuals, not the stores in the mall or store employees, that are causing the problems. No reasonable or semi-literate individual could place blame on or hold Pic-Pac or any other store in the strip-mall responsible for what individuals do in the area.
Bob Daley, of Pic-Pac, recently told a KTHV reporter that loitering around his
store is the real problem, but the store gets blamed for everything that
happens in the neighborhood. “There's fights, there's shootings, but it's because they let them loiter.” He says crime will continue if the loitering is not handled and that it has nothing to do with his store.
Daley added, “if I could close this store and crime could go away I'd close it, but it's not going to go down it's going to move down or go that way or that way.”
“The liquor store isn’t the problem it's the community and it shouldn't be pinpointed at Pic-Pac.”
Little Rock police say loitering is a problem near 12th Street and Peyton and make the usual excuses about them being too busy dealing with violent crime and not having enough officers. However, they do have time to send officers to out of town funerals and ceremonies.
"There's a lot of businesses in that area that attract a lot of people.” They say that the department is stretched thin right now, and violent crimes take priority.
“When we have a loitering problem we try to hit that area as much as we can, however loitering is not a higher priority call.”
Perhaps Pic-Pac will call LRPD as a witness at any hearing that the ABC holds. Having the police department back you up that they don't consider loitering something they should have to respond to would go a long way to help your case.
When a law enforcement agency has to go door-to-door to try and get complaints, that agency is in trouble. We know that as long as Hamlet remains as director of enforcement they are in serious trouble.
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| PIC-PAC EMPLOYEE BOB DALEY |
Daley added, “if I could close this store and crime could go away I'd close it, but it's not going to go down it's going to move down or go that way or that way.”
“The liquor store isn’t the problem it's the community and it shouldn't be pinpointed at Pic-Pac.”
Little Rock police say loitering is a problem near 12th Street and Peyton and make the usual excuses about them being too busy dealing with violent crime and not having enough officers. However, they do have time to send officers to out of town funerals and ceremonies.
"There's a lot of businesses in that area that attract a lot of people.” They say that the department is stretched thin right now, and violent crimes take priority.
“When we have a loitering problem we try to hit that area as much as we can, however loitering is not a higher priority call.”
Perhaps Pic-Pac will call LRPD as a witness at any hearing that the ABC holds. Having the police department back you up that they don't consider loitering something they should have to respond to would go a long way to help your case.
When a law enforcement agency has to go door-to-door to try and get complaints, that agency is in trouble. We know that as long as Hamlet remains as director of enforcement they are in serious trouble.
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We wonder if Hamlet will go after the beer permit of the EZ Mart at 11911 Mara Lynn Road. Early this morning there was a second shooting in the past 30 days. This one resulted in a homicide. 12th street is not the only area of crime, the whole city of Little Rock is dangerous. Little Rock has consistently been rated one of if not the most dangerous cites of it size in the entire United States.
