Shreveport Councilmember Calls for Major Shakeup at MPC

SHREVEPORT, LA - Shreveport Council members say the city must do something about the proliferation of liquor stores in the African American community.

Metropolitan Planning Commission Director Alan Clarke was called on the carpet during the Thursday council meeting as members urged him to do more to prevent these kinds of businesses from opening. But Clarke told the Council, if the business meets all the criteria, there is nothing much he can do to stop the process. He says to do so could open the city up to a possible lawsuit.

Councilwoman Calls Wants to Throw Out MPC

But Councilwoman Ursula Bowman was not happy with that response. She is calling for a major shakeup in the MPC. Bowman says:

For 2 years you have been saying the same thing. I say throw the whole MPC out and and start over. We are not going to dance around this anymore. We have got to make a change starting with the beginning of 2025.

Councilwoman Says MPC Funding Is on Chopping Block

Bowman told Clarke to talk to his employees to let them know "their funding is on the chopping board. We can't keep giving money and don't see any results. So anybody that works for the MPC, you should let them know. We've gotta see a change. That's the bottom line."

Councilwoman Tabitha Taylor says we don't need 3 liquor stores in one block. She says residents in many African American communities can't get fresh vegetables, but they can get malt liquor.

Council Chairman Alan Jackson says the current ordinance needs to be changed to make it more difficult to get approval to open a liquor store. He wants residents to be able to have more of an influence on these decisions.