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Luong Nguyen is trying to run a restaurant with the front door locked.

Think about that. She hovers, jumping when she hears the door rattle. If she’s in the kitchen, she’ll miss a table.

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But what’s the alternative? She’s surrounded by homeless shelters — kitty-corner to Hope Mission, down the street from the Herb Jamieson and George Spady.

When Nguyen opened Veggie Garden seven years ago, it was OK. But the chaos increased. Too many people with unkempt clothes and a hopeless attitude wandered in and started fights. Four years ago, she locked the door. When her lease runs out, she’ll move.

Welcome to Edmonton’s shelter district, a.k.a. Chinatown. Last week, Premier Jason Kenney announced an expert panel to review the impact of supervised drug consumption sites on communities, including the three that opened here about a year ago. But that’s not the real issue. That’s just the last straw.

Nguyen had windows smashed 11 times. Down the street at Golden Cafe, Tom Ly’s staff clean human feces from behind the bakery several times a week. At Mildly Chinese Herbal Centre, Fion Le called the city to report a pile of 50 used needles dumped beside the shop.