What can we do about a problem gas station

Visitor Question: Our neighborhood is experiencing a crisis because we are so very tired of a service station half a block from my house where every kind of social problem seems to surface.

Every few weeks it seems like there is another shooting, outright shootout between two warring factions, an assault, a fist fight, an overdose case, or homeless person or persons hanging around the door almost blocking the entrance.

We are afraid to go there, even though it is by far the closest place for us to get gasoline. We have talked to the manager numerous times, but he says he has no control over who hangs out there. He also points out that sometimes there has not even been any "hanging out"--in other words, the shooting came out of nowhere with none of the participants seeming to be loitering or taking any longer than needed to take care of business.

We talked to our city council representative, and she promises to look into it, but then nothing really happens to change anything. What can we do about this situation? At this point we don't even care who takes the blame, we don't care if anyone is punished, but we just want the craziness to stop.

Editor Replies: Unfortunately this situation is all too common in neighborhoods where it seems like a certain amount of lawlessness has gained the upper hand, and sometimes in "good" neighborhoods as well. Certainly it happens where incomes are low and hopelessness is high, but also this can occur in transitional areas where there is no strong neighborhood identification as well.

This is somewhat common in areas along major highways or roads where there is no residential community and no foot traffic.

Gas stations and convenience stores are by far the most common victims of this behavior. In using the word "victims," I am acknowledging that sometimes the store manager really is fairly helpless in the face of this behavior. If police will not come when called and if the customers and neighbors are too intimidated to confront the offending behavior, the shop itself may not be in a favorable position to stop the nonsense.

However, in my opinion, the store must do whatever it takes to wipe out any reputation it has for tolerating stuff. If not, bad behavior feeds on itself and multiplies.

Even more importantly, when violence is involved, customers or store personnel could be injured or killed.

So what should we expect of the store itself? We should expect that either they aggressively enforce standards of behavior and tell people to move along when they do appear to be just waiting around looking for trouble. We can expect that a store of any type either obtains the necessary support from a police department or business district, or else they hire private security as necessary to bring the situation under control.

Otherwise I want that store to cease operation.
I realize that is drastic when leases and contracts are in place, but I put it this way to emphasize how strongly I feel about a business taking care of its own premises, including the outdoor area. (Convenience stores especially seem prone to use the excuse that they cannot control what happens outside their doors and on or near their parking lot.)

Cities may have a nuisance ordinance or similar law that would allow them to shut down an operation either temporarily or permanently. A few will even take the property by eminent domain, although that is a lengthy process and not the quick fix that most residents want and deserve. Investigate any such possibilities thoroughly.

Incidentally, your elected official is not doing her job if she does not pursue this aggressively and then give you feedback about what is happening and why things are not changing.

Attempt to bypass this councilperson and go directly to the mayor or city administrator. Talk to the city attorney on the way into or out of the city council meeting. Find out if your county has any law enforcement officials that could help with the situation. Talk to your state representative; some of them are willing to lend their name and prestige to helping constituents get justice, even though this is probably not strictly speaking a state issue. Go to any media that cover your market. Get on social media and start complaining yourself.

Even though this is a long shot, I recommend a detailed but respectful letter to the corporate offices of the gas station in question. While unlikely to yield the results you want, just telling the manager that you have done this may exert a subtle pressure.

Lastly, if you think this is occurring because your neighborhood in general has a fairly high incidence of lawlessness and bad behavior, do everything you can to organize the good people in the neighborhood into a block club or neighborhood association. (See our pages about block clubs and how to start a neighborhood association.

If these organizing tasks are too difficult for you, at least start talking to your neighbors regularly about this issue. Maybe one of them will be interested in taking it further. I urge you not to let go of this issue though, because someone's life could be at stake. At the very least, the reputation of your neighborhood is at risk.

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