DETROIT – The city has already shut down the Detroit Hookah location near East 7 Mile Road and Conant for allegedly selling marijuana to a minor.
Thursday (March 28) night activists targeted a second Detroit Hookah location on 7 Mile Road near Van Dyke Avenue, claiming they’re selling tobacco to minors.
They swarmed the shop and went inside. When they were told the owner wasn’t there, they hit him on the phone and put it on speaker.
“Hey, my man, what we’re hearing from the community is you guys are selling vapes to schoolchildren,” well-known activist Teferi Brent said into a phone.
The owner denied it and said if something was sold, it was the clerk’s fault and that it should be dealt with in court. The discussion became more heated, with the owner telling them they should not be showing up at his other businesses.
Detroit police Commissioner Darryl Woods fired back.
“What are you going to do, shoot us?” said Woods.
President of the Detroit School Board, Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, was there to add to the pressure.
“This stuff is being marketed and targeted towards young people,” said Peterson-Mayberry. “Enough is enough. A student cannot learn if they are under the influence of a drug substance, and we’re seeing evidence in our schools every day.”
This is a pressure campaign, pure and simple.
Local 4 asked Brent why he didn’t wait for the legal system to run its course.
“This is a major issue for our children,” Brent said. “We don’t have time to wait in law enforcement, the prosecutor, or judges, although we expect them to do their jobs.”
--> Detroit hookah shop shut down after selling weed to 15-year-old on city’s east side