'Liquor has destroyed our community': concerns over possible grocery store

• Video shows Super Convenience Store in Council Bluffs, north Omaha, and Fair Deal Village.
• On June 25, 2024 the city council denied the request for a grocery store to be brought to the Fair Deal Village due to alcohol being sold in the store.
• The last store at this location closed during the pandemic for unknown reasons. Now residents want to help with the "food desert" they are experiencing but are not willing to budge on alcohol being sold at the location.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

I’m Melissa Wright in north Omaha where for years, people have talked about this area being a "food desert" and looked for ways to bring a grocery store into this neighborhood.

Now one business owner wants to do just that but city council has voted against his plan because of what else he wants to sell and now it's headed to a state commission to decide.

Merhawi Kahsay already owns a convenience store in council bluffs. Now, he wants to open a grocery store at the Fair Deal.

“I would offer meat… fruit… canned fruit.. chips.. whatever they call it grocery," said Kahsay.

In June, the Omaha city council voted against his plan because the new store would also sell mini bottles of liquor and single cans of beer.

“That neighborhood there's a lot of liquor stores… not grocery stores… I went there and I look at it… and I said.. I can make a pretty nice grocery store," said Kahsay.

The original vision for the Fair Deal Village MarketPlace was to bring accessible food and groceries to the area. When the Fair Deal Village was built in 2016 there was a grocery store but it closed during the pandemic.

“There's no need for me to open without a liquor license.. I already know...it's already failed.. the first time,"said Kahsay.

Antoine Jackson owns Jackson’s Fair Deal Cafe. He agrees with the need for food but not the need for more alcohol.

“Liquor has destroyed our community. There's a reason I don't have liquor.. I can but I don't. I might have wine… but am not going to sell hard liquor," said Jackson.

Jackson is not the only one that believes this. Stan Rone, a pastor at the Worship Center on 24th expressed concerns as well.

“That is not in the best interest of our community…and hampers efforts to aid individuals that are struggling with alcohol addiction and their families.” said Rone.

During the June council meeting Kashay’s attorney, Lindsey Schuler stated she reached out to nearby businesses and churches to hear feedback from neighbors.

“I received zero responses, zero concerns, zero calls. Nobody showed up to the meeting, if there were truly concerns…I wish I had the opportunity to address them at that time," said Schuler.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission does have the final say. However they do take the city councils recommendations and citizen protests into consideration. Citizen protests can be made on the NLCC site. The file number is 11967.