Sunoco gas station employees are asking for help as the Midtown supermarket is a scary place to work amid rising crime

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – Employees at a Midtown grocery store said crime there is so bad that it is difficult to retain employees.

The store occupies an entire city block between Fannin, San Jacinto, Gray and Webster.

After reporting a murder on ABC13 in July 2023, Troy Finner, former chief of the Houston Police Department, vowed to deploy patrols in the area to reduce crime.

A month after he begged police for help, Sami Fardeen, the former manager of the Sunoco gas station convenience store, said the situation had improved.

“No more crime,” Fardeen told ABC13 on August 29, 2023. “No more drug dealers. No more guns. Everything is going well these days.”

Current employees at the store, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, said Fardeen no longer works there. They said it was difficult to retain employees because the store was so dangerous.

On August 16 and again on September 2, an employee at the store was robbed at gunpoint. Current employees said he resigned afterward.

Two employees who worked Friday have a combined 65 years of experience working in convenience stores and said this was the worst they've ever worked in.

ABC13 obtained data showing that in the first month after Finner allocated additional resources to the area, 22 criminal charges were filed between Gray and Hadley and Fannin and Caroline for theft, assault, robbery, drugs, vandalism and sexual assault.

In the three months that followed, the number fell to single digits and remained in double digits until July 2024.

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According to the information, 25 criminal complaints were filed in July and 22 in August.

Houston police told ABC13 on Friday that crews were still deployed to patrol the area.

While store employees acknowledged that police were passing through the area, they said the hordes of loitering would leave the area when police arrived and return once officers left.

Over the past year and a half, the Greyhound bus station and McDonald's, located in Midtown and known as a troubled area among area businesses, have been closed.

Other stores a few blocks away from the supermarket said they have noticed a difference since the closure.

“We're seeing some improvements,” said Alvaro Rivera, owner of Al's Handmade Boots. “We're seeing more patrols now, but it's still the case that it gets dark here on weekends. I don't recommend walking around this area. I wouldn't tell my wife to walk around here even in daylight.”

Rivera, who has called Midtown the location of his company since 2010, said the Midtown community holds meetings and invites officials to discuss ways to reduce crime.

“I think we need to get more involved and not just close our doors and not care about what’s going on out there,” Rivera said.

While he acknowledged that Houston lacks police resources, he said he believes a stronger police presence would be helpful.

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