Muskegon City Commission votes to pull party store license pend...

The parents of Shawn Huq, Terry Ripley and Arron Pham are forever linked in grief, and united in their efforts to prevent under aged drinking.

[voter]

people need to take responsiblity for their own actions.

[Mike]

The old blame game comes up again. It makes no sense to blame the store. I think the clerk should be prosecuted but only if it was sold with out checking the ID. If the driver did present an ID, and it was fake then the driver should be held accountable. Kids are smart and can figure out how to make fake ID's in fact you can buy them on the Internet. Did all the parents know where the kids were going? The parents need to ask questions and take an interest in their teens life. Lets quit finger pointing and take responsibility of ourselves and our children.

[kclh_thunk]

another "bad apple" spoils it for the rest of us. the bad apple being the kid (s) who bought the alcohol. they broke the law. perhaps the clerk, if he/she failed to check ID, should be suspended from a job selling alcohol - that is about as harsh as it should get. Perhaps the store owner should pay a fine. Not lose license so the rest of us folks who want a toddie and stay home to drink it are punished by having to not patronize that particular store. I'm am SICK of government telling us what to do or not do.

[Tony from Fremont]

I applaud Andrew Bickham and what is he doing to possibly prevent future instances of this happening to other people. His son made a bad choice and now is paying for the consequences. Mr. Bickham shows a lot of intergrity having to deal with a tough problem. Listen up people, Mr. Bickham has a good message for all to learn.
As for the party store losing its liqour license. I think it should. The owner of that store has a legal and moral obligation to train their employees on the law and not to sell to minors..period!!

[Deb]

The parents should hold more responsibility than the store owners. My question is, "Why didn't they know what their kids were doing or where they were at?" I suspect that these boys came home more than once with alcohol on their breath.

[Take your medicine]

Tony from Fremont wrote:

I applaud Andrew Bickham and what is he doing to possibly prevent future instances of this happening to other people. His son made a bad choice and now is paying for the consequences. Mr. Bickham shows a lot of intergrity having to deal with a tough problem. Listen up people, Mr. Bickham has a good message for all to learn.
As for the party store losing its liqour license. I think it should. The owner of that store has a legal and moral obligation to train their employees on the law and not to sell to minors..period!!

Really? I like the fact that Bickham is urging people not to drink and drive, which is something anyone would agree with. However, the message being sent by going after the liquor store only says, it's the liquor stores fault. Yes, it's a very unfortuntate situation and it's a complete shame that these young lives were lost. However, let's not lose sight of the fact that these young kids were all out drinking under age. The store didn't force them to get blasted and drive around, they did this on their own. While we're at it, why not go after the parents whose kid was hosting the party? They were the ones that provided the venue for the drinking to go on. Oh wait, you say they weren't there and didn't know? Well, same situation for the store owner.

Charge the clerk if they knew they were selling to minors or didn't check for ID, but if you take this guy's liquor license away, you will pretty much put him under. Then you've basically put 4 to 6 people out of jobs and taken yet more money out of our horrid economy. All for what? To show people that if they screw up, there is always someone else to point the finger at? Come on, it's time to just take the blame.

[diane]

Tony from Fremont wrote:

I applaud Andrew Bickham and what is he doing to possibly prevent future instances of this happening to other people. His son made a bad choice and now is paying for the consequences. Mr. Bickham shows a lot of intergrity having to deal with a tough problem. Listen up people, Mr. Bickham has a good message for all to learn.
As for the party store losing its liqour license. I think it should. The owner of that store has a legal and moral obligation to train their employees on the law and not to sell to minors..period!!

THE WHOLE THING IS SO VERY SAD. MAY GOD BE WITH THE FAMILIES. THIS HAS TO BE THE HARDEST THING A PARENTS HAS TO GO THOUGH.
BUT SECONDLY THE STORE WASNT AT FAULT, THE CLERK WAS IF SHE DIDNT ASK FOR ID. SO EVERY STORE SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN, BECAUSE I AM SURE AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER EVERY STORE HAS SOLD LIQUID TO AN UNDERAGE PERSON, WHETHER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
AND NO I DO NOT DRINK NOR DO I BELIEVE YOUR SHOULD. BUT I WAS JUST STATING A FACT.

[hang by your neck]

Its true the store should not have sold to minors. BUT the damn minors should have been tought not to drink and drive or get in a car with someone who had been drinking. The blame does not fall on the store owner. Now his store and family have to suffer because these kids made bad choices. Way to go retards.

[Rosiesmom]

As a parent, I would like to know how it could possibly be the parents fault that these kids decided to drink and drive. They didn't buy the alcohol for the kids and hand them the car keys. If you have kids, do you know exactly where they are, what they are doing, and who they are with at any given moment while they are not at home? Aside from locking them in their rooms until they are of drinking age, this will continue to happen. Teenagers have been drinking underage for years. As parents, we can only pound the "no drinking and driving" rule into their heads. Whether they listen or not is totally up to them.
I give credit to the father of the driver. Many parents would run on about how good of a kid their son is, and he had never been in trouble before........blah, blah, blah. He is accepting the fact that his son made a very bad decision, and is trying to get the word out so maybe other teens will get the message.
It's a sad situation for all involved.

[Deb]

I agree with the other posters when they said that the liquor store owner should not be held responsible for the clerk selling to minors. Again, the blame is trying to be shifted from the kids to the store. The kids knew they were underage. They knew they shouldnt drink, but they did and a horrible thing happened. Another business will probably go under in Muskegon. I just wish that people would take responsibility for their own actions and not blame someone else.

[_Mudman]

Alchohol breath devices in all cars. Mandatory.

[Nemo]

I don't get it. The parents are holding the store responsible for their childs decision to drink and drive? Or to ride with a person who has been drinking heavily? I just don't get it.
I have three boys. All of whom I've not only instructed but all of whom I monitor closely as to WHAT they're doing and whom they're doing it with. I'm doing my best to teach my boys that IF they try drinking that they do it responsibly.
Kids are gonna do what kids are gonna do. It matters not WHERE they got the alcohol... yes the store is responsible to ID people... and they should be fined heavily for failure to do so. If that behavior continues then yes their license SHOULD be pulled. But be clear about WHY it's being pulled. The store is not responsible for a young persons decision to drink and drive or to ride with a person who has been drinking. If they want alcohol they'll find it...somewhere.
It is the parents place to make sure that they drill into the heads of their children the dangers of drinking and driving. You can EASILY find all kinds of illustrations to show young people what the results are.
I sincerely offer my heart felt condolences for those who have lost their kids ... but please don't try to blame someone else for what was ultimately your child's decision.

[_Mudman]

alcohol

[Dawn]

Nemo wrote:

I don't get it. The parents are holding the store responsible for their childs decision to drink and drive? Or to ride with a person who has been drinking heavily? I just don't get it.
I have three boys. All of whom I've not only instructed but all of whom I monitor closely as to WHAT they're doing and whom they're doing it with. I'm doing my best to teach my boys that IF they try drinking that they do it responsibly.
Kids are gonna do what kids are gonna do. It matters not WHERE they got the alcohol... yes the store is responsible to ID people... and they should be fined heavily for failure to do so. If that behavior continues then yes their license SHOULD be pulled. But be clear about WHY it's being pulled. The store is not responsible for a young persons decision to drink and drive or to ride with a person who has been drinking. If they want alcohol they'll find it...somewhere.
It is the parents place to make sure that they drill into the heads of their children the dangers of drinking and driving. You can EASILY find all kinds of illustrations to show young people what the results are.
I sincerely offer my heart felt condolences for those who have lost their kids ... but please don't try to blame someone else for what was ultimately your child's decision.

Ditto that! ;)

[Concerned Mother]

The Quik Way is known for selling to minors and has been a problem for the police. The store owner IS responsible for his employees. There is not problem with him selling groceries, just the alcohol. He will not be put out of business. Kids will always try to get alcohol. It's the adults that have to say NO. You can talk and talk to your kids about drinking and driving. Sometimes you get through to them, most times not. My understanding was the only ID that the clerks asked was "do you have a car" and they knew you would not tell.

[Jessica]

I am still truly in awe from everything that had happened and i hope that the kwik way (if they did sell the teens alch.) should get their lisence revoked and even recieve more harsher disipline. People are dead because of this.

[Jim in Mears]

The only good liquor store is a dead liquor store. Alcohol destroys the lives of thousands every year. It destroys families. We flaunt it all over television. What do we expect? Close the store, throw the owner and the employees in the cell next to the boy that just went to prison. Let them all sit there and think about it for 10 years. The only good liquor store is a dead liquor store.

[Mason in Holland]

The kid is being held responsible for his actions. The clerk will be held accountable for his/her actions, which likely means fine + job loss. I don't believe that revoking the license of the store is the answer just because of one ignorant clerk. The store had no previous offenses.

Who is holding the parents accountable for their children's actions? Did they talk to them about the dangers of drinking and driving? I guess I'd like to know more about that.

[Take your medicine]

Jim in Mears wrote:

The only good liquor store is a dead liquor store. Alcohol destroys the lives of thousands every year. It destroys families. We flaunt it all over television. What do we expect? Close the store, throw the owner and the employees in the cell next to the boy that just went to prison. Let them all sit there and think about it for 10 years. The only good liquor store is a dead liquor store.

Great point Jim, we should also begin throwing anyone who assembles a car in jail as well. Think of all the people that have died because they were speeding in a car. Personal responsibility should have nothing to do with this discussion, thanks for bringing a realistic, fresh approach to this. Note: sarcasm was used in the making of this post.

[Roger_Muskegon]

Not like any of the ones fighting for the cause has ever drank as a minor. Its why Michigan allows liquor sales and the $2000 driver law. The state makes money off people of any age.