Suya Spot manager upset police linking restaurant to gang violence
The manager of the Suya Spot in Ottawa is upset at the Ottawa Police Service for painting his establishment as a "magnet" of criminal gang activity.
"We've been a huge target. From the very first day we opened … we never got support from the whole community. We never got support from the police," said Reynolds Okoh.
This week, Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau publicly stated he wants to see the restaurant closed down because of alleged illegal gang activity that goes on inside and around the restaurant. Bordeleau also pointed to numerous bylaw infractions that have occurred since the Suya Spot opened on Shillington Avenue in 2014.
But Okoh denies any involvement with gangs or having broken any bylaws.
"I'm not a part of any gang," said Okoh. "We have not been charged by one bylaw officer. Someone got shot in the parking lot. Someone did not get shot inside the restaurant. The parking lot, we have no control over. If people have disputes ... and it leads to that, how do we have control over it?"
26-year-old man fatally shot on weekend
Twenty-six-year-old Abdi "Ajax" Jama was fatally shot this weekend behind the strip mall where the Nigerian restaurant is located.
Okoh said he did not know Jama personally and that the recent violence is not a reflection of his restaurant or the people who attend it.
"These things have happened in places like Parliament, places like the mall … even downtown Ottawa. In front of clubs, in front of hotels," he said.
The Suya Spot has been the target of police harassment even before it opened its doors on Shillington Avenue, Okoh said. In 2012 the restaurant had a smaller location on Somerset Street.
Old location also attracted police
"When we were on Somerset … in a small pick-up location, we were doing very good. We were extremely busy," said Okoh.
"We got to the point our community, the African community, they said they wanted a bigger place. They wanted a place that they can come and sit and call home and dine. That's why we started the adventure of looking for a bigger place."
But the old location was plagued with police visits, Okoh said. "Police would park outside the little restaurant and they would see these guys coming out with [a] bag of food. They would stop them and ask them, 'What do you have in the bag?'"
The police presence in the new Carlington location has not been much different, said the Thunder Bay native.
According to Okoh, police have searched the premises unexpectedly numerous times in the middle of night.
"They've raided this place … [and] they've found nothing," he said.
Fire inspection included tactical officers
Police most recently searched his restaurant on May 22 this year, he said. Restaurant surveillance video shows about 10 officers entering the premises at around 3:30 a.m. ET, including several tactical officers. One officer is seen holding a video camera while another carries what looks like a large crowbar.
There were about 30 officers all around the restaurant blocking the street for what he was told was a fire inspection, Okoh said.
"[We] asked them for search warrants. We got no search warrants," he said.
Police dispute this, saying the district chief was in possession of an entry warrant when they entered.
In an email to CBC News, Acting Staff Sgt. Anthony Skinner wrote that "the team was asked to assist an Ottawa Fire Inspector to gain entry.
"People inside the restaurant had locked themselves inside and were refusing entry to the inspector. Given the history of incidents at that location tactical was used to ensure the safety of all involved. The inspection was completed and [led] to seven charges under the fire code," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Okoh said he wants the authorities to respect his right to do business and to treat his establishment like any other in the community.
"We want the police, we want the chief of police, we want the city councillor to respect us like every other business. We are independent business owners. We're just trying to make a living. We're trying to contribute to the community," he said.
