Cops vs. Burgers.

• Author: Weissmueller, Zach
• Position: Artifact - Tarn's Burgers' Nick Benetatos - Brief article

LOCATED ON THE corner of Figueroa and 101st Street in South Central Los Angeles, Tarn's Burgers has been a part of the neighborhood for almost 30 years, serving burgers and fries through multiple recessions and even the 1992 L.A. riots. "When the markets were burned down, liquor stores were burned down, everything was burned down, people had nowhere to go, they came to us," says Nick Benetatos, who took over the restaurant in 1989 after his father retired.

But in 2012 the city declared Tarn's a "public nuisance," claiming the late-night joint was a haven for criminals. Benetatos says he is simply located in a high-crime area and has tried to work with the Los Angeles Police Department, honoring its requests that he remove pay phones on the property and tables for outdoor seating, which he says resulted in a IC percent decline in revenues.

The city's...