Gas Station Hit With 15-Day Suspension

BP Lisbon, 2624 W. Lisbon Ave. Photo taken March 23, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.

BP Lisbon will close for more than two weeks as it works to address neighborhood complaints. Loitering, litter and frequent police calls have plagued the gas station at 2624 W. Lisbon Ave., prompting the Milwaukee Common Council to issue the business a 15-day license suspension.

Council members on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of the closure, which takes effect April 2 and continues through April 11.

The business, which holds filling station, food dealer and weights and measures licenses, will be permitted to operate as usual following the suspension but will maintain its current hours after the Milwaukee Licenses Committee denied its request for an extended-hours establishment license — one it previously held until it was not renewed in 2019.

“I wanted to sell my house to get away from the violence, the drugs and the turmoil,” neighbor Gail Crockett testified during a March 10 license renewal hearing, adding that even with a community agreement and shortened hours, disturbances have continued throughout the past year. “There’s still trouble over there,” she said.

Haynie Smith of Midtown Neighborhood Alliance echoed those statements, saying BP Lisbon’s owner, Aftab Sultan, fell short on promises outlined in a “good neighbor agreement” signed in early 2025.

Smith complained of cars parked at the gas station after hours and said Sultan has not kept up with cleanup and maintenance. He and Magen Thomas of Rooted & Rising also said Sultan has missed regular meetings of both groups.

“We have not seen you at all,” Smith said, while Thomas added that Sultan attended only “two, maybe three” meetings over the past 12 months.

Area Alderman Russell W. Stamper II said additional complaints have come via phone calls to his office.

Sultan said he’s worked to improve relationships with community members and believes the business is in better standing compared with last year. “I think these are minor police calls, so we take good measures to minimize all the police calls,” he said.

The longtime operator also said he collaborates with the Milwaukee Police Department to share security camera footage and has added outdoor lighting to enhance customer safety.

“I’m not appreciative of his cavalier attitude, with the first thing out his mouth being that these were minor,” Stamper said. “These are not minor, these are issues — and this is just what is reported.”

Stamper added that he would support a suspension but not a nonrenewal, crediting Sultan for his willingness to appear before committee and maintain open communication with city officials. “I just want to give him another opportunity to see if he’s going to improve.”

In committee, Alderman Alex Brower moved to renew the business’s existing licenses with a 15-day suspension, citing evidence in the police report as well as testimony from the alderman, applicant and neighborhood residents showing that the operation poses a threat to the health, safety or welfare of the public and that it failed to comply with the approved plan of operations.

Brower also moved to deny the extended-hours license, which, if approved, would have allowed the gas station to open 24 hours. There were no objections.

Sultan filed a written objection to the decision on March 18 but withdrew the appeal before Tuesday’s council meeting. He also signed an updated neighborhood agreement, drafted with Stamper, the Midtown Neighborhood Alliance and Rooted & Rising, which lays out guidelines for safety and security, cleanliness and maintenance, community engagement, business operations, communication, advocacy and dispute resolution.

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