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‘Brothers’ where art thou?
Liquor store declared public nuisance, owners decide to close down
The manager of Brothers Liquor store , Monsoor Ghanem, said yesterday that the embattled business has closed down for good.
“What’s the point. The city makes it impossible to stay. I am not going to pay $100 a day to stay open,” Ghanem said yesterday, while at the store clearing the shelves.
The retail liquor store has been at odds with residents in the south Berkeley neighborhood — numerous complaints have been lodged that the store is a Mecca for illegal activity, including drug dealing and prostitution.
At a January 15 public hearing in City Council chambers Berkeley Police Lt. Allen Yuen stated there has been 19 felony arrests on or near the store in a one-year period. He also said that the managers of the store had until recently been uncooperative with the police department.
