Former President Donald Trump will make a post-court go to Tuesday to the Manhattan bodega the place clerk Jose Alba infamously stabbed an ex-con to demise in self-defense two years in the past — a case that drew widespread outrage after he was initially charged with homicide.
The Republican presidential contender will cease by the Sanaa Handy Retailer, previously referred to as the Blue Moon Handy Retailer, in Harlem to fulfill with the shop’s co-owner Maad Ahmed and small enterprise advocate Francisco Marte, sources stated.
“What occurred to Jose was very exhausting for me. Jose was defending himself from the man who got here behind the counter. All for $1 price of chips,” Ahmed, 36, instructed The Publish forward of Trump’s arrival.
Whereas the homicide costs towards Alba have been later dropped — following rising strain from the general public — the employee was so traumatized he went again to the Dominican Republic, the place he remained on Tuesday, sources stated.
Ahmed stated the shop remains to be grappling with rampant crime — and that he’ll inform Trump the town isn’t secure.
“I’ve by no means voted, as a result of I’ve been working, however this time I’ll. We’d like Donald Trump again within the White Home as a result of he’s a robust man,” stated Ahmed, an immigrant from Yemen and a US citizen.
Marte, president of New York’s Bodega and Small Enterprise Affiliation, stated he was grateful for Trump’s assist each of small companies and of “regulation and order” — however famous his group doesn’t endorse political candidates as a rule.
“This retailer was the place the combat towards the liberal legal guidelines began, after they have been charging Jose Alba with homicide for defending himself. The combat towards these liberals began right here,” he instructed The Publish.
The comfort retailer made headlines in July 2022 when ex-con Austin Simon, 35, was caught on digital camera cornering 61-year-old clerk Alba in a dispute over chips.
Alba was stabbed by Simon’s girlfriend, Tina Lee, within the melee, and fatally knifed Simon.
He was charged with second-degree homicide and spent near every week behind bars till prosecutors in Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg’s workplace agreed to decrease his $250,000 bail.
The DA’s workplace ultimately moved to drop the fees, concluding there wasn’t sufficient proof to show that Alba “was not justified in his use of lethal bodily pressure.”
Final yr, Alba was among the many witnesses who testified at a Home Judiciary Committee “area listening to” about Bragg’s efficiency.
The listening to centered on Bragg’s method to crime after he indicted Trump, 77, on costs associated to hush cash funds made to then-porn star Stormy Daniels forward of the 2016 presidential election.
Jury choice began Monday within the Manhattan Supreme Court docket case.
“I do know Trump’s in court docket however dangerous issues occur to good individuals,” Ahmed, the storeowner, stated.
Further reporting by Olivia Land
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