Anniston council bans open beer coolers in businesses

Councilman Seyram Selace

The Anniston City Council took action Monday that they hope will make it mor difficult for minors to purchase alcohol in the city. The council passed an ordinance that bans the use of portable coolers containing individual alcoholic beverages in local businesses. The coolers in question are typically seen inside service stations, near the front, and they contain individually canned or bottled alcoholic beverages. Councilman Seyram Selase, who proposed the ordinance, has said cashiers sometimes let customers buy the individual beverages without checking their age, thinking one drink is not worth the hassle.  City Manager Brian Johnson said the ordinance is in effect now and will be enforced in the coming weeks.  Selase said he came up with the idea for the ordinance after attending a fellowship of the National Black Caucus at the National League of Citizens conference in July. There, he was paired with Gadsden City Councilman Robert Avery, who spearheaded an anti-cooler ordinance in Gadsden several years ago.