A BUSINESSMAN has claimed their establishment is being ruined by a new neighbor, with some people allegedly hanging around outside and defecating in the streets and parking lot.

In Natchez, Mississippi, about 100 miles southwest of Jackson near the Mississippi River, antique shop owner Richard Branyan claimed crowds around the new small business next door are ruining the area.

Branyan owns and operates Lower Lodge Antiques, which he lives above in an apartment, and runs three bed-and-breakfast locations on the block, per The Natchez Democrat.

The businessman told the outlet that everything was running smoothly until April of this year when the Truth Lounge, a bar and cocktail lounge, opened up.

Since that time, Branyan said that negative reviews flooded in online for his bed-and-breakfast spots, and he claims it’s due to wild partying outside of the Truth Lounge.

The lounge is owned by Rickey Backs and David Haywood, both of whom Branyan had nice things to say about — but questioned recent events he’d allegedly seen take place.

“Rickey and David are very nice to us. But I do not understand what is happening outside the Truth Lounge since it has opened,” Branyan told the publication.

“It’s like people are tailgating out there.”

“They are partying all around. I had one guest tell me it looked like someone had set up a DJ in the parking lot,” he claimed.

Although it seemingly got worse, as Branyan said several guests at the bar disregarded private parking and private property rules, allegedly relieving themselves on and around his business.

“They pee on my building. They are defecating in the parking lot,” he claimed.

“It is insane.”

Things reached a head on October 14, when a fight reportedly broke out inside the Truth Lounge and out on the streets in front of the bar and Branyan’s business, per local CBS News affiliate WJTV.

The Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen called a special meeting the same day about the Truth Lounge, ultimately deciding to close the establishment temporarily until their next meeting on October 23, where more details will be discussed.

Complications surrounding the Truth Lounge were known by officials as early as August.

The city board had a split vote on August 29 in an effort to enact its chronic nuisance ordinance on the owners of the Truth Lounge.

A chronic nuisance ordinance is a law that several city governments have implemented around the United States, per the ACLU.

It allows officials to declare a property or establishment a nuisance if the police are called too many times to the area and penalize them for it.

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Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said officials had been working with Backs and Haywood, including Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and other officers.

Even so, cops told The Natchez Democrat that problems continued.

Backs and Haywood argued to the outlet that they’ve held up their end of the city’s requests, maintaining the decorum of the business and the sidewalk outside of it while police handled parking lot disruptions.

The owners also claimed that the fight on October 14 was the first that’s happened since Truth Lounge opened in April.

They also argued that similar fights often break out across other small businesses in Natchez, but only they were forced to close because of it.

Truth Lounge’s owners say they’re being treated differently.

Branyan also isn’t sure what to make of the cause of the disruptions either, and noted he doesn’t know if the lounge’s guests are the cause of the fights and defecation or if it’s others coming to party outside of the establishment.

“Ricky says they are not his customers. What I know is they are not there when the Truth Lounge is not open,” the businessman noted.

“That’s the problem.”

He added: “The Truth Lounge is allegedly not exceeding the occupancy limit of 75. So it’s the other people who are coming to hang out outside it.”

“I don’t understand why you get this tailgating thing for blocks around a place that has a limit of 75 people.”

Branyan remains frustrated over the impact on his businesses supposedly caused by crowds outside the Truth Lounge, as he said the bed and breakfasts account for a significant portion of his income.

He claimed that visitors to other similar establishments have given him no trouble.

Another neighboring bar called Bobby J’s supposedly caused surrounding businesses no problems for years.

“Bobby J is an excellent neighbor. There are weekends when he has a big crowd, but his crowd is respectful of the neighborhood,” Branyan told The Natchez Democrat.

“It’s been looking like Bourbon Street down here, and honestly, if the crowd were respectful, it would be a different situation.”

“We need a balance.”

The U.S. Sun contacted the Truth Lounge for an official comment on its closing and the accusations made by Branyan but was unable to reach them at the time of publication.

For more on neighbor conflicts, check out The U.S. Sun’s coverage of how a homeowner got petty revenge after a next-door resident complained about leaves on their lawn.

The U.S. Sun also has the story of a fuming neighbor who threatened to report a homeowner’s kids to the community HOA over chalk drawings on the sidewalk.