Mr. Conforti, there may not be objective data to answer your questions. However, as a parent who feels like our national culture/society heavily undermines my efforts to raise Godly children in a safe environment, I view this as one way to exercise some local control. Directionally, it will not hurt. I would rather not wait for something bad to happen and then try to reverse the license. Mike Kinkley.

Both the church and the school are the sponsor of this petition. Feel free to contact Father Dan or Lisa Brown with concerns.

Who is sponsoring this petition? As a parishioner of St. Michael's who also happens to live a couple blocks from the 7-11, this petition is embarrassingly self-righteous. What 'risk to public safety' or 'risk to our children' is increased by 7-11 by 7-11 selling liquor? So, as long as laws keep the implied riff raff associated with the shelters and bus stops further away from St. Michael's, then the sponsors of this petition will feel safer? Gee, how Christ-like. Get over yourselves. Frederick Conforti

Oh this is sure to get interesting. I cannot understand how people now feel it is their right to stop a business from legally selling merchandise. This issue should have been brought up long ago when our elected officials choose to grant these licenses. Vote wisely next time. As a parent of four SMS grads/current students I firmly believe it does NOT take a Village to raise MY children. I am responsible for their safety until they are legally able. To further suggest shopping at Mariano's seems to suggest that the nearby homes with children in that neighborhood are not as important as the St Michael family.

I walk by that 7-11 all the time with my kids and the area is sketchy enough as it is. Adding alcohol sales right next to a place where preschool kids are dropped off is just inviting trouble. Think about the safety of the kids for once instead of just the business license.

Kids cross the street at night to go from the School to the Faith Center. While waiting to pick up my children from practice, I have seen a couple of kids run across the street and almost get hit. If you put liquor there it will attract people who have been drinking and want to purchase more. The Catholic church isn't against drinking, it is for protecting children. It isn't self-righteousness, it is logic. Look at how many times the police have been called there this year, do you think adding liquor to the mix will help that?

Since my first post, the school/church altered the original petition by deleting all reference to the shelters, bus stops, and diverting customers to the Mariano's. That action compounds the hypocrisy. Obviously the petition's administrator concurred with my opening criticism and subsequently altered the petition. Look, I am not advocating for 7-11. Granting or denying the liquor license will not effect me, my family, or my parish at all. Sheltering little Johnny from seeing a homeless person buying a Budweiser isn't protecting him. This petition, as originally written, and even now, smacks of self-righteousness because in infers that St. Mike's is above that element and wants legislation to insulate itself from it. Hmm WWJD? There are sick & dying children right now in the St. Mike's parish. Redirect this energy and resource to protecting/helping them. Peace

The petition has nothing to do with elitism nor is it mean spirited. It's a pragmatic attempt to limit dangerous behavior at a location that is notorious in such regard and is a stone's throw away from young children. No one suggests moving the PACE bus stop nor curtailing the store owner's right to conduct business. We are requesting, however, that City Council use its appropriate, legal discretion to refuse a liquor license when it is not in the community's best interest to approve such a request. While I generally defer to laissez-faire principles in these matters, the sale of liquor at this location is an especially bad idea. We see lots of non-residents coming and going, some of whom (not all) are sketchy and up to no good. I've witnessed both pot smoking and IV drug use in and around the store's parking lot. The franchise owners are pleasant, hard working people and I wish them prosperity but selling alcohol at this location will only compound an existing problem. Protecting children and the community is not at all counter to Christ's message. Your suggestion to the contrary is baseless and unfair.