Corner stores work for less crime

by Dennis Giesinger

Two convenience stores at either end of the Powderhorn neighborhood on Chicago Ave. are working with neighborhood residents, the city and police to address the issue of crime in the community that they serve.

Market Express at Chicago Avenue and 32nd Street and Cup Foods at Chicago Avenue and 38th Street are both open under what are called “operating conditions,” according to Casper Hill of the Minneapolis Communications Department.

“Any time a business’s license has been pulled, certain operating conditions will be placed on their business license,” said. Hill.

Market Express was closed briefly in July because of a paperwork problem with the city licensing department. It had been the object of complaints by neighborhood residents and block groups concerned with loitering and perceived drug activity in or near its premises. According to documents filed in a suit against the city, Cup Foods was closed by the City Council for a period of months in 2000 after the execution of a search warrant in1998 in which some stolen property, including cell phones and a bicycle were recovered and after undercover police made controlled drug buys in the store in 1999.

Some of the operating conditions with which store owners must comply include minimum staffing, installation of surveillance cameras, restrictions on store merchandise, windows kept clear of signs and other obstructions, controlled hours of operation, litter and clutter clearance and instructions to keep away loiterers, according to information provided by the city
“Police have been driving by and watching the store and its made a big difference,” said Cup Foods owner, Samir (Sam) Abumayyaleh.

Police calls to Cup Foods have decreased in recent years, say city communications, and the calls that do come are being made by store staff.
“Both owners have been making great efforts improve their outreach to the community,” said Minneapolis SAFE Officer Karen Notsch. “Sam provided the food and refreshments for the block club party on Oct. 20,” Notsch said.
“My partner (Market Express business partner, Hatem El-Hommosani) has been going to all the neighborhood meetings,” said Market Express owner, Eslam Sallam. “And we shoo people away if we think they don’t have business with us,” Sallam said.

“Some people do want to close us down,” Sallam said, acknowledging that his store has gained a somewhat tarnished reputation in the community.
“There’s crime in the area,” said Abumayyaleh. “But I think if we all work together, we can beat it as a community,” he said.