Loitering Teens Take Over Detroit Gas Station, Scare Business Away
An owner of a Detroit gas station says teens who loiter inside and outside his store are driving business away.
A local Fox affiliate reports:
“There’s a lot of good people around here,” said the station owner, who wished to remain anonymous. But now, those good people aren’t coming as often to the Marathon station along W. 7 Mile Road on the city’s west side.
“This is a Bad Crew gas station,” said one teen loitering out front on Tuesday. When asked what that meant, he said, “If you don’t know, I can’t even tell you.”
Surveillance video shows up to a dozen teens smoking cigarettes and sitting atop counters in the store. And they’re a nasty bunch, with some spitting in the sinks, treating the owner’s gas station as their own personal restroom.
The owner says that sometimes there are as many as 40 teens at his store, hanging out both inside and outside, and they’re “destroying” his business.
The store owner says although his cashiers are too afraid to take action against the teens, Detroit police have been called out several times to disperse the crowd, but they just come back after police leave.
Leslie Cunningham lives close to the gas station and says Marvin Winans’ Perfecting Church have recently been to the station to talk to the young people. “It’s out of hand,” said Cunningham. “We try to raise young people around here that they would be concerned and care about their area and this is what we have to contend with.”
The young teens have obviously decided to take over the gas station, and the owner says he would sell it if he could, but he owes too much.
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Whew. I’m gonna hit this from a couple of different sides. First when the owner or employes first noticed that this was becoming a hangout they should’ve called the authorities HOURLY. Once it’s been established that the owner or employee is on record for calling the police for a growing situation that was not being resolved by the police then it is up to the owner to try to handle the situation on his own. Whatever that might entail up to not taking a life,it is the owners responsiblity to run and have his store free of loiters. This happens all the time and if the kids see that a owner is soft or reluctant to run them out,they will take it to the Nth degree. Unfortunatly a owner of stores like these has to show kids upfront that this is not a hangout and if need be ill do what I have to do to make you see that. It’s not a black thing either,you see it in white neighborhoods too. It got to the point with some white customers that the whole policy of “no shirt,no shoes” came into play because they felt one can just do whatever when you walk into a store. So you have to make a stand from the very start that this establishment will not tolierate any BS because if they see or feel the fear they know they got you. Lastly does the whole boys clubs or lack of come into play here? Do these kids just want a place to socialize outside? Is it as simple as that? There should be a boys club or community centers that caters to these kids today. Obviously whatever we have now hasn’t been working so we need to talk to these kids to find out why the feel the need to hangout in stores or on front stoops.
I’m not familiar with the area, but I know other neighborhoods and scenes like this very well. Most of the community centers I know of are useless unless you want to hold some type of “event” there. Or maybe they are headquarters for some social work program, but nothing to attract young people. The Boys Club would probably be a better option, but unfortunately for the kids who hang out at that store, whatever a place like the Boys Club is offering, they probably aren’t interested. In a situation like this I do believe the best solution is one that may not be legal. No, I’m not talking about killing anyone. But this is where the adults in the neighborhood should get together, b*m rush that store and start beating the h**l out everyone under 18. And when they tried to come back the next day they’d get the same thing.
I would recommend the following: Develop a working group, invite some social worker aides, clinicians, job developers, financial specialist, education specialist to come and assess the situation. I would have them survey the young men to see exactly what their needs were. Find out why they chose to sit and hang out at this store. I would do some major engagement and assessment to figure out what could be done to help them transition from the store to more engaging, educational, and enlightening environment. Assessments would include home economic, environment, health, and mental as well. Then based on each young man’s assessment, assist them with programs, social services, and educational services. I estimate that a special budget for fund for two years in the tune of 3 million would help these young men move on to a more productive lifestyle and teach them to reach back and help. I could help set this up if anyone is interested, but I will not want people to come at this idea with negativity and NIMBISM (Not in my back yard attitudes). The point would be to engage, assist, and solve the issues plaguing these young black men.
@GodlessFulaniyiraX
Your kidding right! Stop babying these ” little darlings”! Poor and uneducated people shouldn’t be along to have children until they are in a better financial and educational situation. This is the product of ignorant, poor and uneducated people having children.
I’m sure that their parents are in their late twenties – Kids having kids! Grandma and Grandpa is 38, 39, 40 years old nowadays!
No need to figure out why their hanging out in the store. Its my store, move or get shot!
Chances are you are descendant from someone who was poor and uneducated and wasn’t in a “better financial and educational situation”, so I wouldn’t judge if I were you.
Those young boys are dealing dope for them arab boys! If they wanted to get rid of them; all they have to do is tell them to get off their property!
Don’t beLIEve these camel jocks because they are the very bastards, who are feeding these youngsters those drugs, guns and fake weed!
I’m out!
Ms. Fulani Yira, are willing to set up this type of program for free? Or only if you are paid to do so? i
I have often suspected that many of the Arab owned stores are just fronts for drug operations. A long owned black community store was brought for a ridiculous amount of money and I wondered why. My thoughts have been confirmed.
There is an old saying, “when you accuse someone and point a finger at them, there are three other fingers pointing back at you”. This situation requires a great deal of personal ingenuity on behalf of the Gas Station owner. He should have initially recruited some of the leaders and offered to set them up as partners in a deal for a car wash or possibly a small startup auto repair facility. Once he is able to recruit the leaders, it would give the kids a feeling of ownership, which is the reason the kids are hanging out there in the first place. Most innercity teens have a desperate need for some location that they can feel honesty that they have some share in and valid attachment to. Sometimes we need other answers beside just “call the cops”.
Once the kids get their gas station connected enterprise up and running, it is certain to improve the station’s business. Lastly, the gas station owner may not realize it but by involving these kids in a worthwhile business project, he would be able to apply for a posssible grant to fund not only the project but expansion of the project. Just think what a valuable teaching tool any such business project (Car wash/detailing or car repair) would be for those young minds that are now currently stuck in “poverty neutral”!
I excuse the ignorant comments made post my comment. I suspect most of these comments are by white males hiding behind a computer screen, smh.
Don’t give up on your idea and desire to help these young men. They are human beings just like everybody else.