ROCHESTER, N.Y. – North Clinton Avenue business leaders spoke out again Friday morning to address the city’s demand for businesses to close by 4 p.m. on Saturday.

READ MORE: Businesses on N. Clinton Ave. respond to city’s directive to close early on final night of Puerto Rican Festival

The city issued a letter stating that the early closure is intended to ensure safety and security in the community, as the activities following the festival have been a hot spot for violence in the past.

RELATED (2023): Overnight violence forces organizers to cancel Puerto Rican Festival Parade 

Merchants who don’t comply with the closure order on Saturday could face misdemeanor charges.

The president of the North Clinton Avenue Business Association Albert Algarin argues that businesses should be allowed to stay open until 7 p.m. on Saturday, as he says it will only hurt small businesses.

“But now you got to think about this. The festival finishes 11:00 at night. They want these merchants to close at 4:00. That seven hour window that this merchants will lose money. Is that fair? I don’t think it’s fair,” said Algarin.

AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses AI

For Related Stories: North Clinton Avenue