Residents in Pilsen and neighborhood groups protesting Saturday said it was not about stopping every new business or development, but about protecting livelihoods.
Located about a block away from his home and the proposed location for a new restaurant and bar, Pilsen resident Carlos Colon said there was not enough room for both of them.
“I literally live next door. 15 meters from door to door,” he said. “It doesn’t benefit the neighborhood, it just affects the neighborhood.”
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Colon said the proposed location for a new Beercade headquarters, if approved, will only add to the existing list of problems it has with other new developments in the area.
“I’m tired of having people defecating in the alley,” Colon said. “Late noise, people leaving empty containers with bottles of garbage with alcoholic beverages.”
And he’s not the only one.
On Saturday, he was joined by dozens of other Pilsen residents and neighborhood organizations demanding that Beercade’s headquarters choose a new location.
“This type of business could be good in other parts of the city, but not in this residential area where its residents just want to live in peace and quiet,” said Vicky Lugo, along with the Stop the Pilsen Landmark coalition.
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“And right now we have COVID, don’t we? We know that a lot of people have lost their jobs, they will be evacuated from this community and these people are thinking of organizing a Beercade,” added Rosa Esquivel, president of the Pilsen Alliance.
Protesters said they had not yet heard from the owners of bars and barbecues, despite numerous attempts to contact them.
“You know, it would be nice if businesses – especially companies that are more night-oriented, drink-oriented, entertainment-oriented – had time to talk to the community before applying for these applications,” said fellow resident Matt Richmond.
The protesters pointed out that the company was initially denied a drink license in the city and that it received a conditional one only after appealing to the state. A decision currently being fought by the city’s law department and these protesters.
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“We, the community, will fight for justice again and we will win,” Lugo said.
ABC7 contacted the city and headquarters of Beercade, but did not respond to our request for comment.
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