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Small-business owners tell Richmond council enforcement has shuttered neighborhood stores; council to follow up
Summary
Owners representing neighborhood convenience stores said enforcement tied to 'Operation Vaporize' has closed longtime businesses and cost jobs; council members thanked speakers and asked the CAO and administrative staff to follow up on reopening options and inspection processes.
Several small-business owners confronted council with accounts of aggressive inspections and long closures that, they said, threaten neighborhood retail and local jobs.
Esidin Al Asad, speaking for a group of local merchants, said neighborhood convenience stores are "the backbone of Richmond's neighborhoods," warned that new policies could push out longtime Black-owned…
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