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     Good evening, I am Alex Koroknay-Palicz, a senior at Holland High school and I have come to speak to you about the discrimination that exists in our city today. We know all to well the horrors of the Holocaust and today the plight of the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, because of these extreme examples we've come to associate discrimination solely with race and color, but the form of discrimination that I am here to speak of today is far less talked about and far more insidious, it is age discrimination. This form of discrimination is not only wrong but also illegal.

     Three businesses around the city, namely the Minit Mart in Washington square, the Admiral gas station on State st. and the Windmill gas station on 32nd, have instituted policies of discrimination based solely on age. These policies limit the number of students allowed inside their stores during certain hours of the day. I've approached the owners of these three businesses and talked to them about their policies in an attempt to inform them of their discriminatory practices. Each store has claimed that without such limitations groups of students would be able to steal anything from the store and avoid detection based on the fact that they are in groups. The owners claim that since the store is their property they can institute whatever policies they see fit. When we look back at the discriminatory practices of the south before the civil rights movement we can see the same policies and similar justifications that exist right here in Holland today. In the interests of objectivity, I have invited the owners of these three businesses to be present today to defend themselves and their policies.

     Regardless of the justifications these businesses give, these polices are fundamentally wrong on two levels. The first is on principal, these policies deny rights to a segment of our population based solely on factors beyond their control. I'm certain every member of this council would feel the same as I do if they were discriminated against by unequal laws or policies, just like the youth of Holland is today.

     Whether you agree these policies are unjust or not, the Michigan legislature does agree that these policies shall not be tolerated, and therefore has passed the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 which clearly makes these policies illegal. Here is a copy of the pertinent section of this law. As you can see the definition stated in section 301 describes a place of public accommodation as, "a business...of any kind...whose goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations are...made available to the public." and in section 302 "prohibits them from denying an individual the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities...of a place of public accommodation because of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, or marital status." This clearly makes the actions and policies of these businesses illegal.

     As representatives of the people of Holland it is your duty to protect the rights of all citizens within the city, therefore I urge the city to take action to prevent these stores and others like them from continuing their discriminatory practices.

     While this situation isn't a Holocaust or a Kosovo, it is a very serious violation of our civil rights and it should not ignored or belittled because the magnitude of it does not compare to what we normally think of as discrimination. It is also within our grasp to correct. Rather than overlooking this problem, I hope that prudent action is taken regarding this oppression of our rights. Thank you for your time this evening.