Connect with us

U.S.

Philadelphia City Council Officially Looking Into Banning Bullet-Proof Barriers Stores In Dangerous Neighborhoods

Published

on

(Via The Daily Wire)

On November 2, Philadelphia Councilwoman Cindy Bass introduced a bill to more closely regulate so-called “beer delis.” These establishments are neither restaurants nor convenience stores, but in-betweens that often sell alcohol — including straight shots of liquor — alongside cigarettes, candy, and various foods, according to Bass.

The bill, which was amended on December 4, calls for local “beer delis” to install restrooms, and provide seating areas for their customers. The bill also asks the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) to issue regulations regarding bullet-proof partitions by January 2021.

Prior to the amendment, the bill called for the complete removal of bullet-proof glass, reading: “No establishment shall erect or maintain a physical barrier.” Following backlash, the legislation was altered to allow the L&I to study the matter for three years, then issue regulations regarding the partitions.

The text of the amended bill that pertains to the glass reads:

By no later than January 1, 2021, the Department of Licenses and Inspections shall promulgate regulations to provide for the use or removal of any physical barrier that requires the persons serving the food in any establishment required to obtain a Large Establishment license … either to open a window or other aperture or to pass the food through a window or other aperture, in order to hand the food to a customer inside the establishment.

The argument from Councilwoman Cindy Bass is that many of these stores exploit legal loopholes in order to masquerade as restaurants while simply selling alcohol.

In a December 11 op-ed, Bass writes: “Would you feel safe with an illegal liquor store next door to you, selling shots of cheap booze at 10 a.m. to loitering alcoholics?”

In Pennsylvania, private owners can’t operate liquor stores. That’s what the state Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores do. But private owners can run restaurants that sell alcohol to their customers to drink while they eat.

Bass notes that aside from alcohol, beer delis sell “candy-flavored cigarillos to get kids hooked on smoking and big boxes of cold medicines that can be turned into street drugs,” adding that these establishments contribute to “drunkenness, loitering, noise, disorder, crime, and violence” in the neighborhoods in which they operate.

The Councilwoman then outlines the loopholes she believes beer delis exploit:

The stop-and-go stores have state liquor licenses as if they were restaurants, but they’re not even close. They are in fact liquor outlets. They don’t have 30 seats; most don’t have any. They don’t prepare or serve food; if you ask, most will show you a single plastic cup of dried Ramen noodles. But for years the ineffective state Liquor Control Board has turned a blind eye to the stop-and-gos’ blatant disregard for the law.

Bass concludes her argument by stating that under her legislation, large establishments with 30 or more seats would be allowed liquor licenses, but no bullet-proof partitions, and smaller establishments that don’t qualify as “restaurants” would no longer be allowed to sell alcohol, but they could retain their partitions:

The stop-and-go owners are complaining that my bill would force them to take down their acrylic glass wall. That’s just false. What the bill simply does is require them to be honest and follow the state law: either become true restaurants (with 30 or more seats) that sell alcohol to customers dining on-site, or admit that they are small convenience stores and stop selling alcohol. The ones that are convenience stores can keep their acrylic glass walls.

Prior to the bill being amended, however, Bass told Fox29 that “the plexiglass has to come down.” She added, “We want to make sure that there isn’t this sort of indignity, in my opinion, to serving food through a Plexiglas only in certain neighborhoods.”

Despite the protestations of many beer deli owners, the City Council voted on Thursday, and the amended bill passed 14-3.

Councilman David Oh expressed his concerns over the bullet-proof glass portion of the bill before the vote on Thursday, saying, “If we take down the safety glass, they’re not changing their business model. They’re not moving. What they will do is purchase firearms. I think that is a worse situation than what we have today.”

In order to clarify Bass’ position regarding plexiglass barriers, The Daily Wire contacted the Councilwoman’s spokesperson, Layla Jones.

When we asked what Bass meant when she said: “We want to make sure that there isn’t this sort of indignity, in my opinion, to serving food through a Plexiglas only in certain neighborhoods,” Jones replied:

As Councilwoman Bass said during her speech yesterday in Council, the clientele at these establishments are not willing customers. They are residents with habits and addictions. These are supposed to be sit-down restaurants, but they operate as a hybrid between a liquor store, drug pharmacy and convenience store. There are no stop-n-go establishments in more affluent Philadelphia neighborhoods. But in vulnerable communities in Philadelphia, store owners feel it’s acceptable to serve limited food and ‘get high’ products through a prison-style plexiglass barrier. If these establishments were selling hypodermic needles which are synonymous with heroin use, there would be an immediate call to shut these places down.

We then asked why businesses might not be allowed after January 1, 2021, to use bullet-proof barriers even if they’re complying with all other legal guidelines, Jones said:

This bill is about conforming city law with state law and creating actual sit-down restaurants in all of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. This bill is not about plexiglass. Several other regulations including seating for 30 or more patrons, square footage requirements and the installation of publicly accessible restrooms will be required by May 1, 2018 at the latest, before L&I is required to create regulations on the use and removal of plexiglass.

We spent a lot of time and effort on a compromise to this bill, to ease store owner concerns but address community outcry. L&I has until January 2021 to create regulations on the use and removal or plexiglass, and the word “use” suggests that after working on the issue L&I may decide there are instances in which plexiglass is acceptable.

As the Philadelphia Department of Public Health Commissioner Tom Farley testified, plexiglass barriers create a special health risk in sit-down restaurant establishments where food is supposed to be consumed on the premises because of increased choking risks. A barrier limits food service staff members’ access to a choking customer or a customer having an allergic reaction. We want both store owners and consumers to be safe.

In the end, it appears the primary defense for possibly removing bullet-proof glass from “beer deli” businesses that sell food and alcohol in dangerous neighborhoods is it could inhibit employees from helping choking customers.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Iowa

Breaking the Cycle: Linn County Mother Takes Her Fight From Iowa DHS to Washington, D.C.

Published

on

Linn County, Iowa — In a case that has already raised red flags for judicial conduct, DHS contradictions, and violations of federal sibling-preservation laws, one mother is now taking her fight far beyond the courtroom.

For Kristin Mitchell, the system that once separated her from her siblings as a child is now repeating the same trauma with her son WG, who was adopted through Iowa DHS, later removed from that adoptive home after abuse, and is now facing yet another rushed adoption while Mitchell appeals at multiple levels.

“I experienced harm in foster care as a child — and now my own child is living the same trauma,” she said.

Her intervention hearing in Linn County left her with more questions than answers. DHS issued her a Family Notice legally recognizing her as a qualifying relative. But in court, the agency reversed itself, and the judge denied her motion to intervene.

Not a single safety concern was presented about her home. The State called just one witness — the same DHS worker who separated Mitchell from her siblings decades ago.

Nobody named a single safety concern. Not one reason why my home would not be good for WG.

When evidence later surfaced showing the presiding judge and DHS workers viewed Mitchell’s private Facebook stories during deliberation — and the judge’s account disappeared shortly after — her concerns about impartiality only grew.

So Mitchell did something few parents in child welfare cases ever do.

She took the fight to Washington, D.C.


A Journey From Linn County to Capitol Hill

During the trip, Senator Mark Finchem conducted a full sit-down interview with activist and FJAA author Francesca Amato at the B&B where the team stayed. Kristin and her son were present throughout the discussion, had the chance to ask their own questions, and captured photos with the Senator during the extended conversation.

Mitchell traveled with a coalition led by Francesca Amato, author of the Family Justice and Accountability Act (FJAA). Their goal: secure bipartisan support for sweeping national reform.

“We came with purpose,” Mitchell said. “Our team met with 10 senators or congressmembers — some meetings went over two hours.”

She visited offices across Capitol Hill. Her youngest son made popcorn and played with tractors in Senator Joni Ernst’s office. She took photos with Arizona Senator Mark Finchem. Congressional staff, she said, treated her evidence with seriousness and gravity.

“They listened closely. They took notes. They understood that what is happening in Iowa is part of a national pattern.”

Mitchell wasn’t just representing her own experience. She brought with her 27 credible stories from Linn County families, many describing similar systemic violations: retaliation, ADA discrimination, sibling separations, and rushed removals.

“The gap between federal foster-care standards and what’s happening in Linn County is enormous,” she said.


A Moment of Precise National Timing

The same week Mitchell walked the halls of Congress advocating for reform, Donald Trump and Melania Trump signed a foster-care–related federal law.

“When I learned they signed that law while I was in D.C., I honestly felt it was no coincidence,” she said.

It was incredibly validating. It gave me hope.

She believes the synchronization signals something larger:
Our voices are finally reaching national leaders.


The Push for Accountability

Mitchell delivered a clear message to federal officials: the Family Justice and Accountability Act is not about creating new rights — it is about enforcing rights the system already violates.

“I told them the FJAA is about accountability,” she said. “About enforcing constitutional rights, civil rights, human rights, and ADA protections.”

She also stressed the urgency of stopping rushed adoptions.

“I have appeals at multiple levels. And yet WG is being pushed toward another adoption before my appeals are decided. That is why this cannot wait.”

Her personal history magnified her purpose.

“I lived through sibling separation as a child. I know what it does to you. No child should live that twice — and that’s what’s happening to WG.”


Washington Responds

Multiple policymakers expressed interest in reviewing her documentation, obtaining evidence, and potentially examining Iowa DHS practices.

“I want to give them the space to conduct their reviews responsibly,” she said. “But yes — interest was real.”

Even the judge in her own case acknowledged she had “strong experience to speak to legislative reform,” a comment Mitchell found telling given the legal barriers she still faces in WG’s case.


The New Federal Law Sends a Message to Iowa

Mitchell believes the new foster-care law sends a direct warning to states like Iowa:

“Pretending to comply with federal mandates is no longer enough.”

She said, “Iowa has repeatedly violated the Fostering Connections Act. My case proves it. DHS recognized me as a relative in writing — then told the court I wasn’t one.”

The new law, she argues, makes one thing clear:
“The era of unaccountable child-welfare agencies is ending.”


A Call to Other Iowa Families

As she continues her appeals — including exploring whether to overturn the original termination of rights, which the court stated was “not strictly necessary” — Mitchell is turning outward and calling on other survivors to come forward.

If you’re in Iowa and you’ve been harmed by DHS, I want you to contact me.

She emphasized that many families remain isolated or silenced, and she wants them to know there are safe channels and advocates ready to support them.


What Comes Next

Mitchell is now working with local lawmakers to bring Iowa into full compliance with federal law. The FJAA author is also preparing portions of the bill for a potential executive order, which could activate protections more quickly nationwide.

“Our movement is gaining momentum,” Mitchell said.

And we’re not stopping until every child is protected from the trauma the system has allowed for far too long.

From the courtrooms of Linn County to the halls of Congress, Mitchell’s fight now sits at the center of a growing national reckoning over child welfare, accountability, and the long-overlooked rights of siblings.

Continue Reading

Groyper

Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson Expose ‘Israel First’ Extremists in MAGA

Published

on

In a seismic two-hour conversation that has ripped the conservative movement wide open, Tucker Carlson sat down with far-right firebrand Nick Fuentes on October 28, 2025, and what emerged wasn’t just a podcast episode—it was a reckoning. The interview, which rocketed to the fourth most-viewed video in Carlson’s post-Fox catalog, didn’t merely platform a controversial figure; it exposed the festering rift between genuine America First patriots and the neoconservative “Israel First” faction that’s been masquerading as MAGA for far too long.

Fuentes, the 27-year-old provocateur whose “Groyper” army has long challenged the GOP’s sacred cows, didn’t hold back. He eviscerated U.S. foreign policy as a “suicide pact” driven by Zionist lobbies that prioritize Tel Aviv over Toledo. Carlson, no stranger to bucking the establishment, nodded along, calling endless aid to Israel “insane” and questioning why American blood and treasure are funneled into a foreign war while our borders bleed. This wasn’t fringe talk; it was a mirror held up to the MAGA base, revealing how a vocal minority—think Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts defending Carlson amid backlash—has been hijacked by interventionists who wrap endless wars in the flag of evangelical Zionism.

The fallout was swift and savage. PBS labeled it a “rift among Republicans,” with a task force on antisemitism severing ties with Heritage over the scandal. NPR chronicled how isolationism and creeping antisemitism are eroding conservative support for Israel, once a bedrock of the movement. Even within MAGA, the knives came out: Ted Cruz and Josh Hammer decried Carlson’s platforming as normalizing extremism, while Fuentes’ defenders accused the critics of being “Zionist agents.”

At its core, this interview peeled back the layers of a movement Trump built on “America First”—no more forever wars, no more blank checks for allies. Yet, as Fuentes hammered home, neocons like those at the Daily Wire have turned MAGA into a Trojan horse for Israeli interests. Carlson’s agreement that “neoconservative policies harm America” struck a nerve because it’s true: billions in aid, vetoes at the UN, and now whispers of U.S. troops in Gaza—all while veterans sleep on streets and fentanyl floods our cities.

This isn’t about hate—it’s about priorities. Trump won by promising to drain the swamp, not refill it with Tel Aviv lobbyists. The Fuentes interview has forced MAGA to choose: Do we stand for American workers, secure borders, and fiscal sanity, or do we bow to foreign gods? Carlson and Fuentes may not be saints, but they’ve done the movement a favor by naming the elephant in the room. The “Israel First” crowd’s days of puppeteering from the shadows are numbered. America First isn’t negotiable—it’s the soul of MAGA. And it’s roaring back.

Continue Reading

Politics

Fascism – The Projection of the Far Left!

Published

on

Today in our current body politic we are inundated with the word FASCIST! The history of the word goes back to the early 20th century with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. These were fascist dictators. Over the years there was also Saul Alinsky who applied certain tactics to radical left wing activism. Ridiculing someone with fascist and other slanderous put downs were part of the psychological warfare against political opponents. If you are aware of Saul Alinskys’ 13 Rules for Radicals, you will be able to apply it to today’s political discourse. I am a strong believer in knowing your history, helps you understand your present, and enables you to predict the future. 

If you follow politics, you will see that some things are done repeatedly from a playbook. These political strategies are used and are tried and true as the Rules for Radicals. These are used over and over because they work, they are successful. When something works you keep using them until they cease to be effective. Certain things can manipulate human behavior and that’s why they are so effective in politics. You are influencing a mass of people, and people like to be accepted into the herd and peer pressure comes into play to make you acquiesce to the current climate. Racism is a great example. No one wants to be called racist. So, calling someone racist puts them on the defensive and isolates them. So, in addition to fascist, racist is used in the left wing demonization of political opponents.

But back to fascism, there are the tell tale signs of political manipulation in today’s political environment. Conservatives will be frequently called far right. They will be frequently called authoritarian. They will also depict deportations as racist and trying to enforce a racial purity. The word autocracy will also be in the pot of slanderous gumbo. Putting all these things together are part of the definition of a FASCIST. This is why those specific words and terms are used over time. These are used to paint a picture of a dictator in the unassuming minds of the public. The word fascist is used deliberately, although in no way shape or form is President Trump a fascist, but reality does not matter in the left’s political world. Another rule for radicals is if you push a negative long enough and hard enough it will break through and be taken as the truth. 

Once these rules are recognized you become aware of the manipulation, and this strange political dance becomes increasingly understandable. The ridiculous slander starts to make sense to the political strategist’s mind. I would think why would a person say something so ridiculous, stupid and untrue? Then, when I go back over the Rules for Radicals and communist tactics it makes sense and gives me a much better understanding of the madness.

One of the main rules is: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it.

This is exactly what is being done with Donald Trump. They go after a person, not a corporation. Personalizing it increases the focus on the target unambiguously. Another rule that goes right alongside this is: Ridicule is a man’s best friend. If you are watching the lamestream media (which is dying) you will notice incessant ridicule of the current POTUS. This is by design. This is also why the president has decent poll numbers and not outstanding numbers like he should have that would normally come from his monumental achievements. So, these are many of the reasons that you will see outright lies and vicious slander. It has many functions but all supporting a political slight of hand. Driving a president’s poll numbers down, isolating him, making him toxic, thus degrading his support. This works because many do not pay close attention to the small and /or big lies that are told in the media every day. We must note that there is a method to the madness.

Hillary Clinton was personal friends with Saul Alinsky. She wrote her honors thesis on Saul D. Alinsky. She was not in lock step with all his theories, but he offered her a job while she was in college before she went to Yale University Law School. So, there is ample reason to believe she really took these rules to heart. She served as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama who was a community activist. Community activism was largely based on Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals. It was to manipulate the public image and opinion on whatever the political issue of the day was. I would ask my Democrat left leaning friends: before Barack Obama was a junior senator from Illinois, what did he do? He was a community organizer or community activist. What did a community organizer do? They generated discord in the community to push for or against a certain political issue. They organized marches and protests. You see the number of protests that are currently happening. Now you understand it is not just for an issue but to get the top news media to get said protest on air to sway public opinion. Visuals are more important than the substance of the march. When these protesters are interviewed many are severely inarticulate and many have only a vague idea of why they are there. But they have the visual and that is the goal. Mission accomplished. The purpose of protests from the left are always the same. But you will see the media will not cover the protests from conservatives in the same way that they cover the protests from leftists. Perfect example let’s take January 6th. The media and the left drone on and on about January 6th like if it were the devil himself had come up straight from hell. And to this day this is the holy grail of leftists’ complaints. One riot. While they ignore the hundreds of riots from BLM, Antifa, Occupy Wall Street and others. Mind you they are responsible for HUNDREDS of riots, billions of dollars of property damage to businesses, hundreds of police injuries, deaths, arson and damage to government property and the attempted murder of police. But they will memory hole all of that and proudly yell, but January 6th though! 

Fascism, is used by fascists, to paint their political opponents as such. Projection. Accuse your opponents of what you are doing or are already guilty of. The Democrats demonstrated their hypocritical fascist stance during COVID. Take this shot or lose your job. Close your business or be arrested. You cannot go to church. You cannot visit your elderly relatives in the hospital even if they were dying in hospice. Many lost the last few precious moments with their loved ones because of Democrat Fascist policies. This is what fascism looks like. Lie to the public and tell them you will have immunity once you take the shot. Lie. You cannot transmit the disease once you take the shot. Another lie. We will take two weeks to bend the curve. Lie. We don’t know where the disease came from, BIG LIE! So, when you see the leftists saying something that is demonstrably ludicrous, know they are using their fascist playbook.

Michael Ameer

News@11

BUY NOW – The Black Trump Supporter: The Reawakening Of a Nation

Continue Reading

Trending

Donate to Populist Wire

*Note: Every donation is greatly appreciated, regardless of the amount.