No one had to tell Mark Washington the stores can cause trouble. There are six within three blocks in Northeast Baltimore's Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello neighborhood, if you count taverns operating as stores, said Washington, executive director of the area community corporation.
He said there is trash, loitering, addiction and violence in the neighborhood that he believes is fueled by the availability of alcohol. He's complained frequently to city and liquor board officials and said he's succeeded in shuttering one store.
