Philadelphia’s Asian-American and Arab-American business communities are challenging the enforcement of local and state ordinances, claiming they disproportionately target minority-owned establishments. The lawsuit, filed on November 26 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, accuses the city of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement of selectively enforcing vague liquor laws against businesses owned by Asian Americans and Arab Americans, leading to unjust suspensions and closures of liquor licenses.
The businesses, represented by the Asian-American Licensed Business Association (AALBA) and the Arab American Business Association (AAB), argue that these vague ordinances have resulted in punishments for incidents beyond their control, such as crime occurring in or near their establishments. The lawsuit focuses on how the city’s curfew laws and nuisance ordinances disproportionately affect these businesses, located in neighborhoods predominantly owned by racial minorities. These laws, the plaintiffs claim, are not equally enforced in predominantly white areas of the city.
