Despite the best efforts of some of the opposing citizens in around East L.A.’s Oval community, a local shopping center will be getting a new tattoo shop as planned. The tattoo shop, The East L.A. Tattoo and Body Piercing, was set to open in the shopping center before a number of citizens began a campaign for it’s removal. The campaign led to a meeting of the local government early last week where it was decided the shop can continue as planned.
The owner of East L.A. Tattoo and Body Piercing had already purchased the space and begun to set up shop when a small group of citizens began to oppose it. The citizens started a website, which included a forum for others to “voice their concerns”. The group also posted an unlisted ad in the local newspaper which read, “join us at the Nov. 24 selectmen’s meeting . . . to help stop tattoos on the Oval.”
Unfortunately for the opposition, the majority of the town remained supportive of the new business. Carolyn Crooker, who owns another business on the Oval is quoted as saying, “This is his dream and it’s not up to us to crush it, whether we like it or not.”
In addition to the other business owners in the area, a number of citizens spoke out to the local news, each other, and on various internet forums letting the shop owner know they were in support of both him and his store. The response no doubt came as a surprise to the opposing citizens who were reported as being disappointed with the lack of support they were receiving in the area.
After a lengthy dispute between the people of the town the council finally held a stand-in meeting to express their opinion on the store’s opening. During the meeting the council explained that the shop met all of the health and monetary requirements and as such would be allowed to continue as planned. The council had performed a lengthy background check on the tattoo shop and found it had no reported incidents with the department of health in the 30 years it had been in business in another area before moving to Oval.
Despite the outpour of support from the community and the ruling of the local government, opposing parties like, June Costa, are not finished fighting the shop’s opening. Costa had been the shop’s biggest critic, and left the meeting stating, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and obviously there’s not a will,”
Obviously, the shops owner faces some future troubles in the new area, but hopefully the supportive citizens will remain supportive and the experience will be a positive one for both Oval and it’s new tattoo shop. [via]