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---snip--- The saga of Philadelphia’s soda tax war is about more than arcane tax policy, and it’s about more than who may be up and who may be down in this year’s mayoral election. It really gets to a big philosophical question: Just what does it mean to be progressive nowadays? Mayor Kenney and his allies speak the lingua franca of progressivism, but when what you hold up as your signature accomplishment is a tax, as opposed to the program it might fund, and when that leads to the expansion of a food desert in a city with the worst...

A Philadelphia city councilwoman is defending her controversial bill that would force certain businesses to remove bulletproof barriers separating cashiers and customers. Councilwoman Cindy Bass said in a statement her proposed legislation only affects stores applying for a "large establishment" license, or sit-down restaurants where food is served and there is seating and tables for 30 or more people. The goal is to crack down on so-called "stop-and-go" shops, or convenience stores that sell hot food and alcohol, many of which have become nuisances to neighborhoods with intoxicated and unruly customers, according to Bass and other lawmakers.

Earlier this month, Councilwoman Cindy Bass introduced a bill to better regulate the hundreds of “stop and go” convenience stores that operate predominantly in Philadelphia’s low-income neighborhoods. Among its stipulations, the controversial measure would prohibit any physical barrier that separates cashiers from customers at these so-called “nuisance” establishments – including protective bulletproof glass. According to Bass, these storefronts take advantage of the city’s lax restaurant liquor license provision while contributing to a variety of quality-of-life issues in low-income communities. Content to rely solely on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol, along with a bag of Doritos or two, many of...

Shopkeepers in Philadelphia's neighborhood convenience stores that serve food and beverages, locally referred to as "beer delis," face a legal prohibition on the thick glass barriers around cashiers that protect them from stickup artists wielding guns, knives, and other weapons. Because the shopkeepers predominately are Asian, and the customers (and robbers) are mostly black, this imbroglio looks a lot like a racist quest for vengeance against a commercially successful minority group.(Koreans) Julie Shaw of the Philadelphia Inquirer provides the details: Despite strong opposition from Asian American beer deli owners and their supporters, Philadelphia City Council voted, 14-3, Thursday to approve...

Democratic councilwoman says the safety measure relied on in low-income neighborhoods hurts shoppers' feelings. Philadelphia is one step closer to getting rid of bulletproof glass in many of its small businesses as part of a larger effort to crack down on loitering, public urination and potential drug sales -- but it's triggered backlash from the shopkeepers.

The Philadelphia City Council voted 14-3 on Thursday to pass a bill allowing the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections to ban shop owners from protecting themselves and their employees with bulletproof plexiglass. Philadelphia 8th District Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who sponsored the bill, said previously that having to see plexiglass represents an "indignity" to her constituents.

The Philadelphia City Council voted 14-3 on Thursday to pass a bill allowing the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections to ban shop owners from protecting themselves and their employees with bulletproof plexiglass. Philadelphia 8th District Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who sponsored the bill, said previously that having to see plexiglass represents an "indignity" to her constituents.

Latest American Justice report from the lunatic fringe of the Left:Cindy Bass is currently a Philadelphia City Council woman.** But with a track record of sponsoring legislation that shifts the power balance  back into the hands of the crooks and thugs , she’s definitely future Congressional material. Of course her current proposal which requires liquor stores to take down the bullet proof glass that protects-clerks from gun-wielding marauders, was drafted with the best possible intentions. Unintended consequences - in this case more dead clerks – never enters their field of vision when they’re crafting do-gooder regulation for others to live...

A controversial bill is currently working its way through city hall designed to regulate 'stop and go' liquor stores. One part of the bill would force business owners to take down bulletproof glass inside their stores. But at what cost to their safety? Broad Deli sits on the corner of the 2200 block of North Broad, inside a wall of bulletproof glass separates customers from workers.  "The most important thing is safety and the public's safety," owner Rich Kim said. Rich Kim's family has run the deli, which sells soda, snacks, meals and beer by the can for 20 years.  He says the glass...

Philadelphia City Councilwoman Cindy Bass is pushing a controversial bill which would force business owners within the city to take down plexiglass from their establishments, Fox 29 reported. The bill is specifically designed to target convenient stores. Bass said this bill is about giving her constituents "dignity." According to Rich Kim, whose family has owned a deli in the area for the last 20 years, the plexiglass is about safety. "The most important thing is safety and the public's safety," Kim told Fox 29. "If the glass comes down, the crime rate will rise and there will be lots of...

Philadelphia, PA - Philadelphia councilwoman Cindy Bass has introduced a controversial bill that would require business owners to take down any bulletproof glass they have in their businesses, and not allow future installation. The bill, known as the Stop and Go bill, is moving through city hall, and reads "No establishment shall erect or maintain a physical barrier." Broad Deli is a local business on the corner of the 2200 block of North Broad. It has a wall of bulletproof glass separating its employees from customers. "The most important thing is safety and the public's safety," Rich Kim, the owner...

Controversial bill would force business owners to take down bulletproof glass controversial bill is currently working its way through city hall designed to regulate 'stop and go' liquor stores. One part of the bill would force business owners to take down bulletproof glass inside their stores. But at what cost to their safety? Broad Deli sits on the corner of the 2200 block of North Broad, inside a wall of bulletproof glass separates customers from workers. "The most important thing is safety and the public's safety," owner Rich Kim said. Rich Kim's family has run the deli, which sells soda,...