JOHN STOSSEL

When there’s crime, I blame the criminal.

But Dallas politicians blamed a business.

Dale Davenport owned Jim’s Car Wash. But five years ago, after a shooting at the property, the city ordered him to shut it down.

Why did they target his car wash?

When I first investigated this story, Davenport told me he was a “model citizen,” doing everything local politicians asked of him:

“They said build a 6-foot fence. I built an 8-foot fence. Then they said, put up signs. I already had signs up, so I put up more signs. Then they told me to put up lights. I already had lights up, so I put up more lights.”

That didn’t stop the city from closing him down.

“Murdered my business, is what the city of Dallas has done,” says Davenport.

Many cities have policies that allow them to close

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