Shreveport Leaders Attack Small Businesses Over Portable Signs

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The Shreveport City Council has been on a pretty big streak of telling local businesses they're not wanted in the city. Just this week, the city attacked local liquor stores again by banning new stores for at least 6 months. This after taking shots at those businesses before over closing times and licenses.

But now Shreveport leaders are looking to broaden the scope on what local small businesses they can punish. Their target now, portable signs like these:

These are signs that small businesses who cannot afford large electronic displays rely on at their locations. Which makes this a very specific attack on small, locally owned businesses. Because large national corporations have no problem affording large electronic displays, which are not under attack by the city.

City leaders already have a "soft ban" in place, and could make it permanent next Summer. The full ban could be in place by June, unless the City Council decides otherwise.

KTBS recently spoke to some local business owners about this attack from the city. LeeAnne Wallbaum of Smitty's Pizza told KTBS:

"They don't want our business. They don't want us to be here. They sure want our sales tax and all the taxes we pay. But if you're not going to support your small businesses, you're not going to have anything"

During the interview with the TV station, Wallbaum added:

"We're not giving this city any more money. It's like every time you turn around, they nitpick this and that. How are small businesses going to survive?"

It is an interesting pattern of behavior for city leaders who are currently overseeing swelling city debt, a shrinking city population, and overwhelming problems within city departments.