Portland neighborhood gas station could be forced to close next week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A busy Louisville gas station could be forced to close its doors for good by this time next week.

On Monday, the owners of the Boone’s Marathon Gas Station on 22nd Street in the Portland neighborhood were given an order to vacate.

According to recent police records, there have been several shootings at the location, including a shooting on May 30, a murder on July 22, and on July 24, a woman was shot in the stomach.

Those are some of the issues that led to an order to vacate and years of complaints from neighbors.

“Last time I was in here was little over two years ago," said Richard Meadows, who lives in the Portland neighborhood.

He’s within walking distance of the Boone's Marathon.

"Drive by it every day, once or twice a day," Meadows said. "I wouldn't...I won't go in there."

Since last June, the business has received several public nuisance citations from the Department of Codes and Regulations— all the result of alleged criminal activity.

"From murders, shootings, drug dealing, drug use, overdose, theft, shootings on the property," said Meadows. “Finally, after all this time, it has happened.”

On Monday, the Department of Codes and Regulations issued an order to vacate the premises. That means the owners must vacate the property within seven days of receiving the citation.

“Boone's has been targeted by Louisville Metro before," said Attorney Nader George Shunnarah.

Shunnarah represents Boone's and says the onus is on the city, not the business owner.

"A small neighborhood grocery store is not set up to deal with that level of crime," said Shunnarah. "The Louisville Metro government refuses to allocate the resources in these very high-crime neighborhoods."

Shunnarah says Portland is a high-crime area and wants the city to provide more resources.

“If you drive onto Boone's, the gas station there, and you're pumping gas and some guy drives up and he shoots you, how is the owner going to stop that?" questioned Shunnarah. "This particular location, crime has just skyrocketed. You cannot take a small neighborhood grocery store and expect them to solve the ills of society."

Neighbors like Richard Meadows see it differently. He responded to Shunnarah’s question with a hypothetical question of his own.

"If I have a swimming pool in my yard and somebody drowns in it, it's my responsibility isn't it?” asked Meadows. “So, if you have a business and somebody gets murdered on your property, it's not cops, it's your responsibility not to have that kind of crime going on one that would result in a murder."

Meadows says the crime has been a problem for years. "If you walk by their property at their gas pumps, you'll find bullet holes in the gas pumps. It's a wonder they haven't blown that place up," said Meadows. "It's extremely frustrating that nothing's been done up to this point."

Meadows believes the neighborhood will improve if and when the business closes for good.

"We don't need those kinds of businesses in the neighborhood," he said. "So, the drug dealing, the drug use, the living behind the place, the prostitution, all that's gonna go away."

But Shunnarah sees it very differently.

"Even if you close this store, is that going to stop all the shootings in the community? No. Is it going to stop the shootings in the neighborhood? No," said Shunnarah. "How simple would it be to have a police officer or two or three to cruise the neighborhood and stop the crime?"

Shunnarah also questions why Metro Police eliminated the gang unit and other units that targeted violent crime in the city. "Since these units have been eliminated, the city of Louisville has become a warzone," said Shunnarah. "The problem isn't the store owners, the problem isn't whether it's a good or bad neighborhood. The problem is, there's insufficient policing in the neighborhood to stop crime."

Shunnarah says he plans to appeal the order to vacate and is already expecting some roadblocks.

"The code enforcement board usually goes against us and all of these cases,” Shunnarah said.

Once the appeal is filed, the business can continue to operate until the case is settled in court.