by Mona Mahadevan The New Haven independent
Video footage of cameras can be seen from the cashier’s box.
Over the last few months, Sam’s Mart on Whalley Avenue — where police have been called more than 350 times since 2023, and where 47-year-old Travis James was fatally stabbed last year — has installed new cameras, added bright lighting, and hired more employees, in response to long-standing complaints from neighbors about criminal activity at the store.
James’s sister, Rhonda, doubts the changes will be enough to prevent violence on the property. She and her family are continuing to pursue legal action against Sam’s, arguing that the store’s lack of security led to James’s death.
Sam’s Mart, located at 285 Whalley Ave., received 352 calls to the police from January 2023 to August 2025. Beaver Hills Alder Gary Hogan said the store has been on his radar since he was first elected. His predecessor, the late Alder Tom Ficklin, had also identified Sam’s as a problem spot and pushed for making it safer.
In early August, Hogan began a series of meetings with Travis James’s family to hear what they wanted to see change at Sam’s.
A month later, Hogan and staff from a half-dozen city departments — including the Livable City Initiative, Building Department, Health Department, Corporation Counsel, and New Haven Police Department — met with the owners of Sam’s Mart. They implored the duo to address blight at the building, put up “no loitering” signs, install cameras and lights, and reduce their hours.
Reflecting on that meeting, Hogan remembered some initial “pushback” from the owners. “I got a little forceful,” said Hogan. Then, they became more receptive, after “I explained to them, you’re not thinking about the community you’re located in.”
In mid-September, the group met again, and Sam’s owners gave the police department direct, live access to the newly installed cameras. (Even before, Sam’s Mart had turned over footage to the police department that helped officers arrest someone for a double homicide.)
In an interview with the Independent, one owner, who, due to safety concerns, asked to be identified only as A.H., said he and his co-owner spent $16,000 over a few months installing eight high-resolution cameras, shining bright lights around the store, hiring three more employees to keep the property clean, and making cosmetic improvements to the bathroom, coolers, floors, and parking lot.
On Friday around 3 p.m., the clerk on duty, Abdul, said the store has been “a lot better” since those improvements were made. He sees fewer people “hanging around” and has heard customers say they’re “much happier” at the store. The Independent saw cameras, mirrors, and lights around and inside the store.
Hogan emphasized that the owners have been nothing short of “very, very cooperative” to the city’s recommendations since their first meeting. In fact, said Hogan, James’s family elected to postpone a protest of Sam’s Mart, originally set for Sep. 29, after seeing the owners take steps to make improvements.
Hogan said the owners joined the Whalley Avenue Special Services District — a neighborhood group that aims to turn the avenue into a “destination retail brand” — and are continuing to provide Hogan with updates on the property.
“They’re trying to make changes,” said Hogan, as he thinks the owners recognize the store’s “impact on the community.”
In a separate interview, Rhonda told the Independent that she’s more skeptical about the improvements.
She said, “It looks like they did the improvements, but they aren’t doing anything about the homeless people that are out there.”
She’s disappointed that the store hasn’t reduced their hours. She’d like to see them go from 24/7 to closing at midnight and reopening at 6 a.m., a proposal that Hogan said is still on the table. From A.H.’s perspective, however, closing wouldn’t “help that much” and might significantly impair their business.
Sam’s is already “not doing that well right now,” said A.H. He doesn’t think the store could handle the loss of income from people shopping for, say, a carton of milk at 11 or 12 at night.
Plus, said A.H., the store has been open 24/7 for 30 years — far before A.H. and his co-owner bought it in 2024.
In addition to reduced hours, James would like to see a security guard at the store.
That suggestion doesn’t seem workable to A.H., either. “If we have security inside the store,” he explained, “it doesn’t help for preventing any fight on the street or the parking lot.” A security guard wouldn’t be able to do anything about a fight outside except call 9-1-1, said A.H.
“To me, I don’t know,” said James. “I feel like they don’t care about anyone that got hurt over there.”
She’s also feeling frustrated with the police department’s inaction, despite having a substation located across the street.
“I don’t understand how they allow all the criminal activity that goes on in the parking lot,” said James, noting the drug deals and violent fights that she still sees happening on the property.
Ultimately, she holds the Sam’s owners responsible for the criminal activity. “It is their property,” she said. “The parking lot is also their property. I believe that they should do more.”
James said her family is still “grieving” deeply for the loss of her brother and her father, who passed just six months before Travis was stabbed to death. “He has three daughters who will never see their dad again,” said James.
Nyzae James, the executrix of Travis James’s estate, submitted a lawsuit against ASF Corporation — the company that owns Sam’s — in May. Her complaint, dated April 21, alleges that James’s injuries “were caused by the negligence of defendant ASF corporation, and/or its agents, servants, and/or employees.”
Among other allegations, the document claims the store failed to provide security, monitor for suspicious and/or criminal activity, warn customers about the prevalence of dangerous activity on the property, and ban Antwine Mike, the man who has been arrested for murdering Travis James, from the premises. (State court records show that Mike has pleaded not guilty to one felony count of murder and is being held on a $2 million bond. His case is still in pre-trial.)
The complaint requests compensation for damages related to James’s medical expenses, estate expenses, pain and suffering, loss of earning potential, and loss of ability “to engage in and enjoy life’s activities.”
The ASF Corporation responded to the lawsuit on Aug. 26, arguing that the “plaintiff’s injuries were proximately caused by Travis James’ recklessness.” The document alleges that James “recklessly chose to enter into a verbal and physical altercation” with Mike, leading him to have been “on top of Antwine Mike and hitting Antwine Mike at the time that he claims to have been injured.”
The case is ongoing, with the most recent filing, dated Oct. 6, from the plaintiff verifying that Nyzae James answered all of the defendant’s questions from May 30.
Rhonda James declined to comment on the case. A.H. said, “We are really sorry for their loss,” and that there was “no single involvement from our store” contributing to the death of Travis James.
“There’s a positive side to this,” said Hogan, referring to the security upgrades at Sam’s. And there’s also “the sadness of the family grieving.”
He’s optimistic that the changes will help quell criminal activity at the store, particularly given how receptive Sam’s owners have been to working with the city. He said he’s also grateful to have met with James’s family four separate times to hear their concerns and, he hopes, help them process their grief.
“Unfortunately for the family, they had a loss of a family member,” said Hogan. “That grief has tarnished the improvements that Sam’s has made.”
Mirrors lining the back of the store make it easy for the cashier to see what’s happening.
Camera!