Letter from the Editor

My friend Steve Kaplan and his family have invested quite a bit in their downtown grocery store. Native Roots, on the corner of Main Street and Santa Fe Avenue, is located in what was once Norman’s telephone company building.

The store, known for its Oklahoma products, has developed quite a following. They even have their own bumper stickers. The problem comes on game day Saturdays. Fans park their cars along Main Street and Santa Fe  Avenue and leave them there all day. It’s tough to serve your customers when they can’t get to the store.

Norman police say they don’t enforce the two-hour parking limits on game day. Why not? It’s just another example of selective enforcement. A parking assistant could work a Saturday shift six days a year. It would send a message that small businesses matter. It also tells the Kaplans and other merchants that the folks who are here supporting the city year round matter.

It reminds me of other ordinances that are not enforced on game days. Walk across the campus with a cold 12-pack of Bud Lite on any weekday afternoon and the only people that approach you will be police officers. Walk around with that same 12-pack on Game Day and everyone wants to be your friend.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 7:18 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.