Bodega owners, elected officials rally on Staten Island in defense of Jose Alba, bodega clerk who fatally stabbed attacker
NEW YORK -- Bodega owners are calling for better protection after a headline-making case involving a deli worker sent to Rikers Island after he killed an attacker in Hamilton Heights.
Sadia Malik and her family own about a dozen convenience stores, including Bagel R Us in Great Kills.
"We are, day to day, defending ourselves when we are on the front lines servicing," Malik told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
Out in the front of her business Saturday, she stood with Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon and others, rallying in response to the caught-on-video case of 61-year-old bodega clerk José Alba, who fatally stabbed 35-year-old Austin Simon, who had walked behind the counter following a dispute over a declined credit card.
It was self-defense plain and simple, said everyone in this group.
"He was just trying to defend himself, was arrested and put in Rikers Island," Fossella said.
Fossella blasted the Manhattan District Attorney's decision to charge Alba with second-degree murder and jail him.
Alba is now out on bail, returning home, saying nothing.
"When these things happen, nobody is a winner. Everybody is a loser," Malik said.
Staten Island DA McMahon made a promise.
"If you're under attack, whether in your home or at school or in your business, you do have the right to defend yourself. There's a justification in New York state law, and we will continue to parse out those cases and prosecute them properly," he said.
"He was doing his job, he was self-defending, and he's put in the Rikers jail, which is unfair for me," said Ali Ansari, who attended Saturday's rally.
Ansari, who owns Old Bayview Deli, says his business has cameras and Plexiglass barriers, but nothing seems to be helping. He's been robbed three times -- once with a gun and twice with a knife.
Ansari says due to the recent events, he's considering doing more to protect himself.
"I don't know what to do now, so it's better to have a gun or...?" he said. "I think we should have a gun nowadays, now, to protect ourselves, yeah."
Fossella called Saturday's gathering a stand against insanity that hard-working owners must be supported when they properly defend themselves.
