Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit a warehouse in Manhattan after court on Tuesday. Two years ago, store clerk Jose Alba stabbed an ex-convict to death in self-defense. The case sparked widespread outrage after he was initially charged with murder.
The Republican presidential candidate stopped by the Sanaa Convenience Store (formerly known as Blue Moon Convenience Store) in Harlem and spoke with co-owner Maad Ahmed about the small and medium-sized business, according to people familiar with the matter. He is scheduled to meet with business advocate Francisco Marte.
“What happened to Jose was very painful for me. Jose was defending himself from a guy who came from behind the counter. All for a tip worth $1,” Ahmed, 36, told Trump. He spoke to the Post before the president’s arrival.
Murder charges against Alba were later dropped following mounting public pressure, but the official returned to the Dominican Republic with great trauma and remained there Tuesday, officials said.
Ahmed said the store is still fighting rampant crime and said he would tell President Trump that the city is not safe.
“I’ve never voted because I’ve been working, but this time I’ll vote. Donald Trump is a strong man and we need him back in the White House,” said an immigrant from Yemen. said Ahmed, a US national.
Marte, president of the New York State Bodega Small Business Association, said he appreciates President Trump’s support for both small businesses and “law and order,” but the group does not endorse political candidates as a general rule. He pointed out that.
“This store was where the fight against the liberal law that charged José Alba with murder in self-protection began. This is where the fight against the liberals began,” he told the Post.
This convenience store became a hot topic in July 2022, when ex-convict Austin Simon, 35, was caught on camera cornering store clerk Alba, 61, during an argument over chips.
In the melee, Alba was stabbed by Simon’s girlfriend, Tina Leigh, and fatally wounded Simon with a knife.
He was charged with second-degree murder and spent nearly a week in jail until prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office agreed to reduce his bail by $250,000.
The prosecutor’s office ultimately moved to drop the charges, concluding that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Alba “was not justified in using deadly physical force.”
Mr. Alba was one of the witnesses who testified about Mr. Bragg’s performance in a House Judiciary Committee field hearing last year.
The hearing focused on the criminal efforts of Mr. Bragg, who prosecuted Mr. Trump, 77, for allegedly paying hush money to then-porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Jury selection in the Manhattan Supreme Court case began Monday.
“I know Trump is in court, but bad things happen to good people,” said Ahmed, the store’s owner.
Additional reporting by Olivia Land
