“People do not understand what happens in a disenfranchised community,” said Councilwoman Perry, who represents neighborhoods in the area. “The fact remains, there are not a lot of food choices in South L.A.”
Since there is not much land left to develop in the area, the moratorium will allow city planners time to determine what kinds of businesses would be best in an area where rates of obesity and diseases related to it are disproportionately high.
“Anybody who believes fast food is the source of all dietary evil is, of course, being naïve,” she said. Other facets of modern life contribute to obesity. People drive more than they walk. Children play video games more often than stickball. And daily life has become saturated with opportunities to eat.
Hard to believe you have a grasp on current health problems when you refer to antiquated past-times like "stickball." Suddenly South Los Angeleans can't drive outside the city limits for a hamburger from a freshly minted fast food joint? And what about the existing 45% of restaurants that are fast food joints? I just don't see how this is going to get to the roots of the problem like few grocery stores and sit-down restaurants (which, for some reason, the council thinks have much better food choices).