Graduation is rolling around for high school students, and that means prom, parties — and often parents and other family members buying liquor for their underage relatives.
So a group of Española Valley High School students called the six largest liquor retailers in Española, hoping to conduct a campaign against buying liquor for minors. Only one — El Rey Liquors — took them up on the offer.
“I was quite disappointed,” senior Vanessa Gonzales, president of the school’s Students Against Drunk Driving chapter, said. ”Our Valley has a problem with alcoholism. We did the same program in Pojoaque a few months ago and everybody was really nice. Then we come to our Valley to do the same thing, and no one wants to help us.”
Marcella Sandoval, the student group’s sponsor, said Sticker Shock is a national campaign, and about 20 liquor retailers in the Española Valley have participated before. But this year, store managers declined to opt in, most of them citing concerns about allowing minors in their establishment.
“Red’s was worried about the law enforcement officers that escort the kids while they’re in there,” Sandoval said. “They told me, ‘I can’t let you do that, it will scare off my customers.’”
Red’s owner Red Roybal said he doesn’t sell to minors, but said having students accompanied by police in his store telling patrons not to give liquor to minors would be “inappropriate.”
Hands Across Cultures employee Felice Gurulé, who helped chaperone the student activity, said the “Sticker Shock” campaign consists of plastering bottles of liquor and cases of beer with bright orange stickers reminding customers it is a fourth-degree felony to provide liquor to a minor. The students are accompanied by police officers and other adult chaperones, and take about an hour at each store, Gurulé said.
“It doesn’t affect business, it only takes about an hour and we educate the merchants and the customers in the process,” Gurulé said.
Sandoval said a Walgreens manager also turned the group down outright, while managers at Wal-Mart and Club Tropicana simply didn’t return her calls. Saints and Sinners allegedly told the group to come back Monday.
Gurulé said the campaign took place Saturday so students would not miss class.
Ken Salazar, whose family owns Saints and Sinners, said he heard about the campaign and told an organizer to send students to the store, but they never showed up.
A Walgreen’s manager, who did not provide her name, said she had not heard of any students approaching the store about the campaign. Wal-Mart employees directed questions to a manager, who did not return calls.
Club Tropicana manager Mike Marquez said his bar participated in the campaign last year, and would have done it again this year. However, he was not contacted by the student group.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” Sandoval said. “We need community change in Española and that starts with the youth. But they’re up against adults who are set in their ways and don’t want to change.”