LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The future of Dino's Food Mart is now in the hands of a judge, and that means this could be the last week in business for for the gas station at West Broadway and 26th Street.
Denise Bentley, a legislative assistant in the office of District 5 Councilwoman Donna Purvis, said constituents have been vocal about Dino's.
"They want it to go. It's been a nuisance in the community for many years," Bentley said. "Constituents are still calling. They want Councilwoman Purvis to just keep pushing."
Bentley said after years of criminal activity and police runs to the area, it's time for Dino's to go.
"For us to have to dedicate so many resources to one location should be a red flag that it's a problem," she said.
In February, the Department of Codes and Regulations upheld an order to vacate on or before March 19, 2021.
"The city gave me notice that they are taking steps to implement the Order to Vacate by boarding up the store," Attorney Nader Shunnarah said.
Nader George Shunnarah
Shunnarah, who represents Dino's and filed a Motion for a Stay in District Court this week, is also making some strong allegations against the city.
"I still think it's based on discriminatory grounds," Shunnarah said. "There's only two stores that have been ordered to be closed: 601 East Broadway and 2601. Both are owned by Middle-Easterners."
The appeal also claims the amount of criminal activity is comparable to other businesses.
"The number of crimes at our location, 2601, and the number of crimes at Kroger are similar," Shunnarah said. "You have maybe, two, three or four."
Shunnarah said the city's crime map shows it's a neighborhood problem.
"If you look at the west end — and I am not just picking on the west end, but if you look at a 2-mile radius of crime in the west end, you know — there's 12,000 criminal acts reported on the crime map," he said. "How are we responsible for all of that? They're accusing us of being responsible for the entire crime of the west end, and that makes no sense at all."
The judge is expected to make a decision Monday morning.
"If the judge upholds the Order to Vacate, then the city will move in a timely fashion to close down that location," Bentley said. "The only thing that Dino's is getting blamed for is what happens at that location. And so, once again, Mr. Shunnarah needs to find another defense."
Denise Bentley
If the district judge upholds the Order to Vacate, Shunnarah said he'll file an appeal in Circuit Court.
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
