Initial Response
I’m working on a follow-up for Tuesday’s paper, but I’d like to get the following responses out now from Oklahoma City/County Health Department and ABLE.
First, OCCHD says they had the large contingent of inspectors because they were on their way to doing sweeps in south OKC. As to why so many had to surround the trucks, I’m told most of the inspectors were “on hold” but were not involved in the action.
As for ABLE, they correctly point out that while I detailed involvement by COOP Ale and Ludivine in the story Friday, I did not get such detail into the story on the raid.
So here’s a comment from ABLE:
“Based on our discussions with ABLE agents who were present on Friday evening, three ABLE agents were conducting a joint operation with the OKC Police Department and the OKC Fire Marshal involving a mixed beverage licensee, Ludivine, and a beer brewer, Coop Ale Works, who were selling or serving alcoholic beverages in the same area. Despite suggestions to the contrary, the ABLE Commission was not involved in shutting down food vendors or any other activity unrelated to alcoholic beverages. After reading Saturday’s article in the Daily Oklahoman, some readers may have been left with a contrary impression, since neither Ludivine, Coop Ale Works, nor alcoholic beverages were mentioned in Saturday’s article.
The ABLE Commission routinely performs joint enforcement efforts with local police departments and fire marshals in an effort to ensure compliance with public safety laws, but we generally do not regulate activities or events unless alcoholic beverages are involved. While a small minority of Oklahomans would prefer abolishing our state’s liquor laws in their entirety, most Oklahoma families recognize the value of these law enforcement efforts, especially when it comes to reducing youth access and drunk driving fatalities.”
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Comments
That is one of the many unanswered questions, isn’t it. How does a “citywide” crackdown, and specifically “south OKC” mentioned here, end up with a single raid/inspection whatever you want to call it, in a single place on the North side? I still haven’t seen anything detailing the other supposed enforcement activities from Friday night. So maybe it was a weekend long sting? Nope, still nothing. Has anyone else?
I’m being told there were other visits made by these folks on Friday night. I don’t have any specifics yet.
I spoke with the people at the Pattywagon on N. May yesterday. Good burger. They told me that they had not been inspected. And I was told that Bobo’s was not inspected Friday night.
Steve – I will be interested in seeing their response to the South OKC side. We have a ton of “Taco Trucks” on our side and I’ve never seen them raided, as they are the same ones – and trust me – I have no doubts there are issues. So if they were really making a raid with a ton of inspectors – the question I want to see answered is: Where else did they go and if they had that many agents – where on the south side were/did they go?
This is an outrage! What kind of city has rules?
Didn’t the folks at the Health Department get the memo that this is a conservative/libertarian paradise in which free actors can enter whatever contract they like without infringement from the “STATE??”
If you want regulated food vendors, why don’t you move to some repressive nanny state like NEW YORK CITY. As for me, I’ll be here in OKC eating a big bowl of delicious FREEDOM!
My relatives own a mobile (on SW 29th) and there were health inspectors there at 11 pm that night. Not only did they inspect our moble but I saw them do others. Our relationship with them has always been cordial and they have gone out of their way to help us do a good job. We have attended seminars given free by them at the Hispanic Chamber. Sometimes they seem as if they are the only agency that is trying to help us, evening getting interpreters to help us pass the food test. Please see my comments in the other blogs on this issue. Can you please not smear them because some yuppies that according to you were operating illegally were disapointed?
So, did OCCHD proceed to South OKC after the Hudson & 8th raid?