CONTACT:
Lorena Lopera
Sociedad Latina
(617)442-4299
Lorena@sociedadlatina.org
BOSTON BUSINESSES FACE FINES FOR SIGN VIOLATIONS
Youth Community Organizers from Sociedad Latina win battle against merchants’ unlawful display of alcohol, tobacco, snack food signs
(July 13, 2009) BOSTON, MASS. —At the urging of City Council President Mike Ross and Sociedad Latina Youth Community Organizers, City Council members approved an ordinance on July 8 that will effectively regulate storefront signage and reduce the impact of tobacco, alcohol and snack food advertisements on the public health of Boston’s youth.
The ordinance is a culmination of four years of work by Sociedad Latina’s Youth Community Organizers, who recognized through a series of city-wide community assessments, the link between negative advertising, low-income areas, and health disparities in Boston.
The youth studies show that neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty such as Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain and East Boston, also have higher rates of diabetes, obesity and heart and lung disease. Those same neighborhoods, Youth Community Organizers found, also have a disproportionate amount of advertising for unhealthy products such as tobacco, alcohol and snack foods, when compared to wealthier communities such as Newton and Brookline.
The youth documented a significant number of stores with excessive signage, in violation of the city’s zoning laws which limit storefront advertising to 30 percent. The youth also found many merchants who do not follow the 15-day limit for temporary signs.
The new ordinance, which went into effect immediately, will make it easier for the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) to enforce the city’s current zoning laws limiting the amount of storefront advertising businesses can display. Merchants are often paid by tobacco, alcohol and snack food companies to display product advertisements in their storefronts. Now, those found in violation of the zoning laws will face a $50 fine for a first-time offense and a $100 fine for each subsequent offense.
“The Boston Sign Code enables merchants to put up as many advertisements as they want because there is no way to actually enforce it,” says Youth Community Organizer Tatiana Cortes, 17.
Under the previous ISD policy, merchants in violation of the law received written warnings, which Youth Community Organizers recognized as ineffective. By fining violators immediately, ISD will encourage business owners to comply with the law and reduce the number of advertisements on display. While the initiative has proven controversial with some local merchants, it is a necessary and creative way to improve public health in Boston.
Boston youth are fed up.
Sociedad Latina Youth Community Organizers presented their concerns and findings from community assessments to the Boston City Council and to ISD Commissioner Bill Good, whose own findings support the work of the youth activists.
Listening to the youth’s call for change, City Council President Mike Ross led the public health initiative to a successful vote last week from the City Council.
“We can make ISD more effective by empowering them to more effectively enforce the law that exists,” Ross said. “I’m grateful for the research Sociedad Latina did on this problem, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Council to make this law work for our community.”
“It’s great, we will finally be able to limit the many unhealthy signs that target young people, in particular minority youth,” said Youth Community Organizer Joseph Monge, 14.
Councilor Ross has worked previously with the Youth Community Organizers of Sociedad Latina. In 2004, Councilor Ross and the Youth Community Organizers celebrated a win on tobacco policies that limited youth access to tobacco. The ordinance received unanimous support from City Council and Mayor Thomas Menino.
The mission of Sociedad Latina is to work in partnership with youth to create the next generation of leaders. Founded in 1968, Sociedad Latina has grown into an organization that provides a comprehensive, community-responsive array of programs designed to empower Latino youth and their families. While maintaining its commitment to remaining a Latino organization with a focus on Latino youth, Sociedad Latina now serves youth and families of all ethnicities and races, a testament to our commitment to the growing ethnic diversity of Roxbury and greater Boston. To find out more visit www.sociedadlatina.org.