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Liquor store says it's not to blame for problems in neighborhood as pleas to close it grow
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BATON ROUGE – Things were quiet outside of Vince’s Liquor on Scotland Avenue on Tuesday, but people who live and work in the area say that’s an unusual sight.
The convenience store, they say , is a hotspot for drugs and violence. Two shootings happened nearby just recently. One was fatal.
That’s why Metro Councilwoman Chauna Banks called a community meeting for Tuesday evening to discuss the future of Vince’s.
But Mosa Algahim, who works at the store, says he and the owners do everything they can to be a good neighbor.
“It’s not our fault,” he said of any problems that happen nearby.
He said the store shouldn’t be blamed for the recent shootings since they didn’t happen on site. He also said the store can’t tell people what to do if they aren’t on the property.
“We can’t go across the street and tell them what to do and what not to do. We can’t go next door to the other businesses and tell them what to do and what not to do. That’s not our property,” he said.
But people who live nearby have complained about drug dealing and loitering in front of the store. Algahim says the store doesn’t allow that and has called the police many times.
“There is no drug dealing going on. We call the police every time. We call the authorities every time with loitering. We always call the authorities,” he said.
He said there are a lot of problems on Scotland Avenue but says closing the store won’t solve them.
“Why are we going to shut down a business that has been there for 60 years? Instead of just trying to clean up the area, why not just help us and clean it with us?”
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