A Burger King in the Financial District of New York City is being sued for 15 million by a local resident for allowing criminals to turn it into “an open-air drug bazaar.”
According to an exclusive from the New York Post, a group of “professional drug dealers” have turned the Burger King at 106 Fulton Street, just blocks away from Zuccotti Park, into a “base of operation, selling illegal drugs either at the entrance . . . or during inclement weather, selling illegal drugs within the Burger King restaurant itself,” according to the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed by local resident Kevin Kaufman.
“We’ve reached out to every direction we can and the only ones that seem to be responsive and listening are the cops,” said Kaufman. “Cops are doing everything they can to get rid of these people, but they’re handcuffed. It’s this idiotic bail reform. They have arrested a couple of people, but they are back within 24 hours.”
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Since January 1st, 2023, there have been 143 9-1-1 calls concerning the locations and two arrests, but the New York Police Department (NYPD) said it was not at liberty to provide details to the Post.
Reporters went to the location and witnessed groups blocking the entryway for hours, a man serving as a bouncer at the door, people trading drugs for money on the sidewalk and selling joints, and multiple people walking in and out without buying anything.
A group called Fulton Street Coalition uploaded a video to X of the location’s clientele getting into a fistfight in broad daylight.
Totally agree the city is a mess and Fulton St in NYC has now full gangs that have taken over the streets. Open drug dealing and harassment of community members. @BurgerKing is housing the gangs and getting cut. pic.twitter.com/VBg86DVmie
— Fulton St Coalition (@Fultonstcoalit) January 5, 2024
One resident, a 47-year-old who has lived on Fulton for 15 years, said the location “is never busy, the only people in there are poor, homeless or dealing drugs… At least there’d be a mix [if] you go to McDonald’s . . . you’ll never see people from the neighborhood in there because it’s a sh-tshow.”
“This is around the corner from the mayor, his office is right there, and it’s like ‘Dude, clean up your neighborhood,’” they added.
A resident who identified themselves as Evan Gillman said, “There’s no restaurant patrons, no one goes in there to eat … These guys are here all day.” Gillman said he sees the same faces in the group appear every day.
“How is this Burger King staying in business and why isn’t it doing anything about it?” asked a different resident. “The people that scare me are the people this crowd attracts. They’re not mentally safe. . . . There are hours of the night where we no longer feel safe walking our dog. That’s a problem.”
According to official statistics for the First Precinct, which includes Fulton Street, 2024 has seen a 2.4 percent increase in crime compared to 2023 during the same period. There has also been a 14 percent increase in felony assaults, a 52 percent increase in burglaries, and a 7 percent in petty larcenies.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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