$1 Crack? Not Exactly

A West Berkeley, Calif., dollar store, which the police labeled a safe haven for drug activity, will be shut down by the city, reports the Daily Californian. According to the police, the area around the store was frequented by at least 55 known drug dealers and six convicted felons. The storeowner said he has little control over what goes on outside his store, beyond asking the loiterers nicely to leave. A frequent and frugal customer of the store defended the family owners, saying they were simply part of a larger crack epidemic. "The activities that go on are just a reflection of how we as a society have been corrupted," he said. —Christina Mueller