City backs off ‘Operation Vaporize’ as blowback from vape shop owners intensifies
Richmond officials are temporarily easing up on efforts to go after local vape shops after complaints from business owners that the crackdown has been excessive.
A lawyer representing dozens of Yemeni-American vape shop owners sent city leaders a letter this week that called the recent enforcement actions illegal and racist.
At a news conference outside City Hall Tuesday evening, several speakers said they feel the city is treating them as outsiders or a threat rather than contributing members of the Richmond community.
“Yes, some of them are first-time immigrants,” said Dean Alasad, who identified himself as president of the Yemeni American Association. “But they have children. They've become part of the American fabric.”
The city has said it’s pausing the enforcement effort until next month to regroup and reorganize, but it’s not yet clear what the initiative will look like when the work resumes in April.
Sarah Vogelsong
City officials have previously said many vape shops, which have rapidly filled retail space all over Richmond, are illegally selling marijuana and have become magnets for armed robberies. The city recently passed new rules limiting the spread of vape shops in most of the city, but that ordinance didn’t affect existing businesses.
The letter local attorney Mark. J Krudys wrote on behalf of vape shop owners — a precursor to possible legal action to follow — claims that the city has been using “concocted” building code violations over minor issues to “run Yemeni-American vape and convenience stores out of business” since last fall.
“The unconstitutional actions have devastated the Richmond Yemeni-American community, leaving the owners and their extended family members mired in debt with no form of income while their inventory is rapidly aging and spoiling,” Krudys wrote. “Other ethnic groups that operate similar vape and convenience stores have been largely untouched by the crackdown.”
City spokesperson Mira Signer said officials have received the letter and are “carefully reviewing the content and accusations made therein.”
“As a city, our first and highest priority is to protect the health and safety of our residents and visitors,” Signer said. “Proactive and consistent enforcement of our zoning, building, and health and safety code is one of many ways to ensure residents can shop, dine, and recreate confidently and safely.”
Richmonder Staff
The letter criticizing Richmond’s vape shop crackdown floats the theory that the city may be clearing out smaller businesses to prepare for the expected legalization of regulated marijuana sales later this year under legislation moving through the Virginia General Assembly.
Krudys said some of his clients will likely lose customers to larger retail marijuana businesses “with lobbyists ensuring their spot in the marketplace.” However, he insisted no illegal drugs or weapons have been found at his clients’ stores.
“The city and its inspectors have lumped my clients together with the alleged actions of a small number of Yemeni-Americans, declaring them all criminals,” Krudys wrote. “Blaming an entire ethnic community for the alleged actions of some is pure and simple racism.”
Mark Newton
Krudys claims stores have been shuttered not for what they’re selling but for minor building issues involving things like locks, electrical systems and toilets.
After the stores are shut down, the city has put up orange stickers on their doors that say no one is allowed to enter. That’s led to numerous robberies of the shuttered businesses, with thieves recognizing there is no one inside to stop them from breaking in and taking what they want.
Zakarya Maqshar, the 34-year-old owner of a vape store on West Grace Street, said his business was broken into three times in one week.
“It was an electrical violation,” he said, when asked why he was shut down.
City Councilor Reva Trammell (8th District) made an appearance at Tuesday’s news conference to support the business owners. She said she didn’t know the “whole story” of everything that’s happened, but is pushing for more information on why some neighborhood stores that sell more than tobacco and vape products are being targeted.
“We need some answers,” Trammell said. “People depend on these convenience stores.”
Sarah Vogelsong
Krudys also claimed there’s evidence suggesting the police who are accompanying code inspectors on the vape shop visits have been doing warrantless searches of the businesses even though they’re ostensibly only there to ensure the inspectors’ safety.
To support the claim Yemeni-Americans are being targeted for particularly unfair treatment, Krudys said city representatives have made comments to store owners such as “you come from a stubborn culture” and “we need more obedience from your people.”
“Those are statements that are being directed to these individuals during the inspection process,” Krudys said at the news conference. “It's wrong. It's unconstitutional. It's racist. It has no place in this community. It has to be corrected immediately.”
Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org
