Several Baltimore liquor stores that were damaged in a riot over the death of Freddie Gray will be excluded from city recovery help, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said, reported Reuters.
Rawlings-Blake added that there had been complaints since most liquor stores do not meet zoning laws, meaning they could be barred from loans and other financial aid.
She also stressed that Baltimore needs alternatives, such as grocery stores, to improve impoverished neighborhoods.
"I do not believe it is appropriate for the city to provide money for these non-conforming liquor stores to rebuild as liquor stores in these locations," she said in a news conference in the Park Heights neighborhood where most liquor stores in Maryland are located.
Nearly 400 businesses across Baltimore, including 40 are liquor stores, were damaged or destroyed in the riots. About two dozen of these stores are not properly zoned because they are located in residential communities.
The rioting occurred after the April 27 funeral of Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died of spinal cord injuries allegedly suffered while in police custody. Gray lived and died in Park Heights where there are a number of liquor stores that are said to be a haven for drugs and other illegal activities.
Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore's health commissioner, said the African-American majority city of 620,000 people had twice the per-capita number of liquor stores compared to other cities of the same size.
Around 100 of the damaged liquor stores were owned by Korean-Americans and operated by families. Despite having sustained as much as $500,000 in damages, many have reopened and would like to rebuild, according to the Korean Society of Maryland, which tried to help the stores. But some are still struggling while others are considering closing their business, reported The Baltimore Sun.
