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Worst Local Government Boondoggle
The Nuisance at Last Place on Earth
Several years ago one could walk into the Last Place on Earth and readily point out a pipe or martial arts item without much of a wait. Customers came and went and although some may not agree with some of the products that the store carries, the store was like any other in Downtown Duluth. At some point in time the popularity of synthetic drugs ended up putting the shop on the map between people loitering and panhandling outside the building, questionable police raids and the specific legality of the products being sold. The current situation has resulted in lines of people out the door waiting to purchase the synthetic products and at least one or two Duluth Police officers monitoring the block while the store is open. There is no clear answer to how the situation will be resolved as the lawfulness of the actions taken by both sides is up to interpretation.
Taking second place for this category was the "Free Speech Zone at Bentleyville." Again, a sticky situation where those expressing first amendment rights clash with what is supposed to be the fun and relaxing nature of Bentleyville. Tensions rose even more when news came out that one of the preachers, Steve Jankowski, was a registered sex offender.