The owner of a James Beard Award-nominated Gretna restaurant complained on social media Friday, claiming police officers have been “intimidating” customers with traffic stops in recent weeks.
However, Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson said the restaurant happens to be located on the problematic road and that the recent enforcement action has nothing to do with the restaurant or its owner.
Chicken's Kitchen owner Marlon “Chicken” Williams has been getting more traffic stops outside his business, shortly after he was ticketed for allegedly running a stop sign in another part of Gretna about six weeks ago. He said he noticed that.
Williams said most of the testimony came from one officer, who appeared to be circling the block “like a shark looking for prey.”
Williams said she became suspicious when she learned the officer was the same person who had pulled her over a few weeks earlier. The increased enforcement also comes after the city of Gretna began scrutinizing Williams' plans for a second location.
He decided to post his frustration on Instagram on Friday after a customer told him he was fined for not stopping long enough at a stop sign.
“That's the point. After these last few weeks, we've become much less busy,” Williams wrote.
Williams, a semifinalist this year for the prestigious James Beard Awards, opened Chicken's Kitchen in Gretna in 2020. This restaurant serves plate lunches and often attracts large crowds for lunch.
On Saturday, Williams met with Lawson and Gretna Deputy Director Jason DiMarco to discuss the issues raised in the post.
Lawson said in an interview that traffic problems on Darbigny Street, where Chicken's Kitchen is located, are not new. The street runs from the West Bank highway to the General Government Building, where the courthouse is located. Gretna added a stop sign to the route about a year and a half ago.
“There's a lot of traffic coming in there,” Lawson said. “The problem with speeding on that road goes back a long way.” [Chicken’s Kitchen] It was there too. ”
Lawson said he decided to increase street enforcement after receiving complaints from neighbors. None of those complaints mentioned Chicken's Kitchen, he noted.
“It has nothing to do with his business,” he said.
After the meeting, Williams posted an update on Instagram. “We reached agreement on some points, but we had to agree to disagree on others,” he said.
Williams said she understands police are doing their job, but believes their services are being “exploited” by people who don't like having a black-owned restaurant in their neighborhood. Ta.
Williams said he is grateful to Gretna law enforcement. “If something happens, we know they’ll show up,” he said.
Still, he noted, this is a “double-edged sword.” No matter how they react, he says, they're likely to be attacked.
“Strangely,” he said, there were no police outside his workplace Monday.
