Are Christian Puritans In Charge In Emeryville?

End Alcohol Prohibition In Emeryville

Delicious and nutritious

Empty calories

Opinion

Walk down any sidewalk in Emeryville with an open beverage in hand.  Pick one of the two pictured above but be careful; select the wrong one and you're suddenly a bad citizen according to City Hall.  A bad citizen with a misdemeanor citation or time in the county lock up.  That's because not only is it illegal to be intoxicated in public but it's also illegal to drink in public.

Chief of Police Ken James says
it should be legal to drink in public
except in parks and near schools.

It's reasonable to have a law against public drunkenness but why, we ask, should it be illegal to drink in public?  Alcohol is a legal substance as are sugary soda drinks that promote obesity and diabetes but for some reason it's the beverage on the right, the one that's nutritious and contributes to good cardio vascular health, that the government feels it needs to crack down on.

Emeryville's prohibition against alcohol in public is a municipal infraction, one that could be rescinded says Chief of Police Ken James.  Mr James told the Tattler he is not adverse to changing the law, making it legal to consume alcoholic beverages in public places except in parks or near schools.  Public drunkenness of course should remain illegal since it's a public safety problem.
We think the city council would be wise to defer to the Chief's judgement here.  We can't see any reason why if a person is allowed to drink a Coke while strolling down the sidewalk, they couldn't also have a beer except if one is drinking a beer they're not thinking about Jesus.

Let's get rid of this relic of a law, one that owes its origin and gives deference to religious fundamentalism.  Emeryville should be seen as a reasonable place.  The council should listen to Mr James; this is an unnecessary law.