Editorial: Taking back their bar

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 | 8:46 a.m.

No one would have blamed Joe and Stella Sobchik if they had quit in the face of violent trouble. They had owned and operated their bar, Atomic Liquors, on Fremont Street for 50 years. They could have said it's a different era now; it's time to close up. We're glad they chose to fight.

Within the past year, drug dealers and gang members began congregating at their bar and intimidating the staff. Where once Barbra Streisand shot pool, crack was being sold and weapons were being brandished. The couple turned to Metro Police, whose community policing team responded. "We were days away from a shooting inside this bar," Metro Sgt. Eric Fricker told Sun reporter Jen Lawson.

The Sobchiks cooperated by changing their hours, adding security features and redesigning the interior. Metro Police made several arrests and the word quickly got around that Atomic Liquors was a mushroom cloud waiting to happen for drug dealers and other criminal types. We hope the Sobchiks become role models for others who find themselves similarly threatened.

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