Bodegas demand safety upgrades after 2nd killing
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,30 FEBRUARY 21-27, 2020 BTR
Councilman Ydanis Rodrigiez speaks at a rally at 3700 White Plains Road
callign for action after a bodega employee was killed Feb. 18.
Schneps Media Jason Cohen
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BY JASON COHEN
In less than a week two Yemeni
bodega workers in the
borough were gunned down
on the job.
On Wednesday, February
19, council members Ydanis
Rodriguez and Andy King, the
Yemeni American Merchants
Association and the United
Bodega Association held a
rally where they called for
justice and demanded better
safety for bodega employees.
This call to action was
sparked after Tuesday’s murder
of 20-year-old Yemeni-
American Mohamed Quitash,
who was working at a food
market at 3700 White Plains
Road.
The shooter allegedly
wanted to buy loose cigarettes,
but the store didn’t sell them.
The ensuing argument led to
Quitash’s murder.
According to CBS NY,
Adrien Topping, 28, and a
woman are under arrest for
the killing. Topping faces several
charges, including second
degree murder.
On Valentine’s Day, another
Yemeni clerk, Yahya Almuntser,
was shot and killed
at B&A Gourmet Deli at 217
Brook Avenue in Mott Haven.
Police are still looking for a
suspect.
Debbie Almontaser, one of
the co-founders of the Yemeni
American Merchants Association,
said the Yemeni community
is devastated and mourning.
“We are here today to mark
another tragedy that has hit
the Yemeni American community,”
Almontaser said.
There needs to be justice,
she exclaimed. He was a son
and a friend and had a bright
future ahead of him.
Councilman Rodriguez
stressed that people shouldn’t
be buried at age 20. He noted
that this recent rash of violence
reminds him of Washington
Heights and Brooklyn
in the 90s.
Rodriguez said the city
needs to examine allowing bodega
workers to have gun permits.
“The cause of everything
here is related to poverty,” Rodriguez
exclaimed.
Abraham Aiyash, the executive
director of the Yemeni
American Merchants Association,
was deeply saddened
about the stituation. Aiyash
could not believe a life was lost
over loose cigarettes.
Futhermore, he said the
association is planning to
teach its members how to deescalate
violent situations and
hopefully grow ties with the
community.
King, who represents the
area, said he and Councilman
Mark Gjonaj introduced a
panic button bill in November
2019, which may have saved
Quitash’s life if the law was
passed.
The bill, titled ‘Junior’s
Law,’ would reimburse small
businesses for the cost of purchasing
and installing a panic
button that would notify the
police department in case of
danger.
“I’m asking us to do something
to save lives for tomorrow,”
he said.
The councilman said this
type of despicable behavior
does not belong in the community.
He urged District Attorney
Darcel Clark to move swiftly
and prosecute the two individuals
responsible for the murder.
“This was a senseless killing,”
King said. “The two people
responsible, I don’t know
how their lives were, but obviously
there was something
wrong if you think it was okay
to take a life for cigarettes and
six dollars.”
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