A small business owner in Denver, Colorado was ticketed for not picking up feces and drug needles left by homeless people around his storefront.

Jawaid Bazyar got the citation after he and his staff stopped cleaning up the constant mess found around his store property. Bazyar, the owner of Forethought.net, says he and his staff witness drug deals right in front of this store.

“There’s food, trash, drug deals,” said Bazyar. “In the alley, we get the defecation, drug needles.”

Bayzar feels it’s not his responsibility to clean up the hazardous trash and feces.

“If the city’s not going to enforce laws against trespassing, or camping, or public defecation, and just make me bear the cost of these problems, that’s just not right,” he explained.

Denver officials don’t agree with Bayzar, and say the hazardous materials left on his property are his responsiblity to remove. The city officials also noted Bazyar can hire someone to clean up the mess, but Bazyar says he shouldn’t have to pay for it. Bayzar plans to fight the citation in court on December 18.

“I’m going to go to court and do my best to argue that the City’s treatment of this unfair,” Bayzar said. “This is a public crime issue and a public health issue and the city is the organization that’s responsible for that.”