RICHMOND, Va. — Less than a week after the city of Richmond announced a pause to Operation Vaporize, the Yemeni American Association is pushing back against the initiative, which was designed to crack down on convenience stores operating with code violations, improper business licenses and, in some cases, illegal drug activity.
The association's concerns are outlined in a letter from Krudys Law Firm in Richmond, which claims that Yemeni-American vape and convenience store owners have been devastated, leaving them and their families in debt, with no income and rapidly deteriorating inventory.
Watch: Richmond vape shop owner says city shut him down 'for the smallest reason' despite code compliance
Mark Krudys joined over 40 Yemeni shop owners who've been impacted by Operation Vaporize outside of Richmond City Hall off Marshall Street Tuesday afternoon.
"They have been persecuted by the city for running their stores which have been primarily vaping stores and convenience stores," Krudys said. "The city stated that it has pursued these businesses because of alleged activities of a few individuals, the individuals that I represent, and that are gathered around me today, have not done any type of criminal violations."
During the press conference, Krudys alleged that the city's operations have been lumping Yemeni business owners who are not conducting business illegally with businesses that have committed crimes, and that the city has been violating the Fourth Amendment rights of the shop workers with their multi-agency inspections.
"What has happened is the city has been using the zoning and inspection process to illegally and unconstitutionally target their community," Krudys said. "These businesses, before they have opened, have gone through the permitting process to ensure that their renovations are okay with the city, and they have passed muster for a year, two or three years, and then all of a sudden, what has been fine in the past is no longer acceptable."
Zakarya Maqshar, an operator of Green Stop Convenience, said he is fighting to reopen his store, which he revealed during the press conference has now been broken into three times after the city closed his business in January — citing multiple code violations and an improper certificate of occupancy and business license.
"I'm hurt," Maqshar said. "I follow the book to the T. I don't have any drugs or anything in my store and they shouldn't target my community, period."
Maqshar said he attempted to address licensing issues before the shutdown.
"I previously went to the city two months before the shutdown to renew my business license and I got the business license in 2025," Maqshar said. "If I was notified, I would have went to the city, corrected and did everything I could to stay open."
Maqshar is echoing concerns specifically addressed in the letter, which alleges that other ethnic groups operating similar stores have largely escaped scrutiny from the city.
"There are other ethnic communities that are in these businesses that have not been subject to the same closures that my clients have been ... the city has also been using these inspections that carry out warrantless searches," Krudys said.
According to Department of Planning and Review Director Kevin Vonck, since December, the city has identified 97 businesses that appear to be "retail tobacco" establishments, and all 97 businesses — regardless of whether they are suspected of illegal drug activity — will be inspected.
Currently, 67 businesses have been inspected, with nearly half of those businesses placarded and receiving notices of violation for being unsafe. Vonck said the effort is "to make sure all are zoning and building code compliant – for the health and safety of themselves and their customers."
But Krudy's argued Tuesday that the enforcement doesn't appear to be evenly applied across convenience stores in the city.
"It's wrong, it's unconstitutional, it's racist," Krudys said. "It has no place in this community, and it has to be corrected immediately."
But Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards also pushed back against claims of discrimination.
"I can just tell you there is no targeting on behalf of the Richmond Police Department on any demographic group," Edwards said. "If you just happen to focus on vape shops like we've been asked to do, maybe that's just a shop that is dominated by this particular group, but not all of them."
The letter says the orange placards, which mark stores that have been temporarily shut down, are damaging the strong customer relationships shop owners have built with the community.
"It’s really disheartening because they see their customer base walking up to the store, seeing the sign, walking away, going to other stores and then they also see the break-ins at night," said Krudys. "They're just helpless because other individuals know there's nobody there to protect the business."
For weeks, store owners have appealed to Mayor Danny Avula and City Council for help and are demanding transparency about how enforcement is being conducted.
"The intention was not inspection," said community activist and Yemeni-American Association President Dean Alasaad. "The intention was we're going to close that business because we have a certain category that we have to eliminate in the city, and we are here today to speak about the injustice that is happening to our community."
Alasaad said city leadership holds the key to resolving the situation.
"We want to make sure that the community knows, that the Mayor knows, that the city council we’re going to go to knows, that we’re not all criminals," Alasaad said. "Don’t label us all as criminals, If there is one, if there’s two if there’s 10, that doesn’t mean all of these hard working Americans are criminals."
"The biggest hurdle that we have and we heard from multiple people in the city — we are not the people who gives the last call, the mayor is the one who gives the last call," Alasaad said.
A spokesperson for Avula's office told CBS 6, “The City has received a letter from representatives of the affected Yemeni-American shop owners and is 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. 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.”
Chief Edwards says the city and Mayor Avula plan to speak with the Yemeni community March 24.
"What we are asking for immediately is for this operation to stop, for these businesses to reopen, we're happy to have a conversation with the city and its inspectors about the process, but we we need them opened immediately," Krudys said.
Members of the Yemeni American Association spoke Tuesday night's City Council meeting to take up their concerns directly with council members.
Watch: Yemeni American store owners speak out against Richmond's Operation Vaporize
"Small neighborhood stores are not the enemy of this great city," said a speaker.
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