Council Votes to Shut Down Dollar Store

A West Berkeley dollar store said by police to be a “safe haven” for drug-related activity will be forced to close its doors after the City Council unanimously voted to declare it a public nuisance at its meeting Tuesday night.

After hearing testimony from police, who detailed instances of what they said was drug-related activity centered in and around the B-Town Dollars & More store located on Sacramento Street and Ashby Avenue, the council voted to declare the store a nuisance, which will likely lead to its closure by July 31.

In April, the Zoning Adjustments Board, upon hearing both police testimony and the business owner’s defense, gave a unanimous recommendation to the City Council to declare B-Town Dollars & More a public nuisance.

Berkeley police say that since 2003 they have had at least 55 encounters both inside and outside the store with drug dealers.

“There are at least six felons that we know of that frequent B-Town. Three of them are also known to be involved in gun violence,” said Gregory Daniel, the city’s code enforcement supervisor.

Daniel added that store owners have not responded to police requests for the installation of security cameras in the store in order to prove that no illegal activity happens at the establishment.

But Nayef Ayesh, the owner of the business, said that the drug-related activity on the block was out of his hands and added that his family is dependent on the income generated by the store.

“Whatever happened outside my business, I have no control for that,” Ayesh told the council. “The only thing I can tell them is please move.”

The Ayesh family also presented the council with a petition bearing more than 500 signatures in support of keeping the store in business.

Chris Smith, who said he was a frequent customer of the store, also spoke in defense of the business and identified the Ayesh family as victims of what he said was a greater problem in society.

“At this stage, (the Ayeshes) are victims of the crack epidemic,” Smith said. “The activities that go on are just a reflection of how we as a society have been corrupted.”

But Councilmember Max Anderson, who represents the district where the store is located, said the evidence against the store was overwhelming, well-documented and covered a long time period.

“There’s no question that B-Town Dollar Store is the focal point on that block of activities that harm the civic peace of that neighborhood,” Anderson said. “They harm the fabric of the

community in that neighborhood and they harm those who are doing legitimate business in that neighborhood.”

While he did not say if he planned to challenge the council’s decision, Ayesh said he did not think the drug activity on the block would be curbed with the closure of his store.

“It will not decrease, they concentrate on one place and forget about the rest,” he said.

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