Community members and business owners are split on a new Montgomery County Council bill that would restrict hours for 水烟, 烟草 and vape shops.
While several Silver Spring residents said the bill is necessary to ensure safety, 水烟 bar owners said their businesses are not the cause of crime.
The bill would require that 水烟 lounges, 烟草 and vape shops close at the same time as other late-night establishments that service alcohol, which must close at 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. 在周末. There are currently no restrictions for businesses that serve 烟草.
Stephanie Helsing, CEO and president of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, said the proposed legislation will ensure safety in the community and protect downtown Silver Spring’s reputation.
“Our current approach is simply not working,” Helsing said. “The reality is we are still hearing from our businesses and property owners about the negative impacts of the late-night activity. Enough is enough for us.”
There has been an increase in calls for police between 2 a.m. 和7a.m., which has led to additional police presence in the county’s central business district and an excess in overtime expenditures for county police, according to Councilmember 凯特•斯图尔特.
The proposed legislation builds off a council bill passed May 2023 following a rise in Silver Spring late-night crime requiring businesses that serve alcohol or 烟草 to develop late-night safety plans.
The bill would also ensure a more equitable distribution of public safety resources and would limit employee’s exposure to harmful carcinogens, according to Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard.
But some 水烟 lounge owners said the legislation would negatively impact their business.
艾哈迈德•卡, who owns a 水烟 lounge in downtown Silver Spring, said his business is an important aspect of his Ethiopian culture. He noted that county law restricts 水烟 lounges from selling alcohol, cannabis and other drugs.
“This is an act of targeted racism on minority business owners,” Kamal said. “It does not get you high, it does not get you drunk, It is a relaxing social event. It has nothing to do with the crime in Silver Spring.
艾伦•艾伯特, who represented three 水烟 lounges at Tuesday’s public hearing, said that businesses are not denying that crime has risen, but said it’s impossible to pinpoint the cause of the increase to 水烟 lounges.
Ebert also said many 水烟 lounges in the area are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and need the late-night business to stay afloat.
“There have not been incidents of any violence or fights within the lounges themselves,” Ebert said. “We are struggling.”
相关:
New Bill Could Restrict Hours for Hookah Lounges, Tobacco Shops
