The cops shutter Rosa Photo & an era ends

THE EPIC WAR between the Rosas and Wulus is over.

The end came quietly, without ceremony. There were no clanging swords. No whistling bombs. Just the sound of the Rosa Photo truck being towed away from Callowhill Street, near the Immigration and Naturalization Services building on 16th Street.

Police shut down Rosa Photo Thursday, alleging that the business was selling fake IDs out of its truck. Authorities hauled away the truck in the wake of an undercover operation by the force's Major Crimes Unit.

Rosa Photo had dispensed passport-size photos from the battle-beaten white truck for nearly two decades. For nearly as long, the business ruthlessly fought to keep customers away from its rookie rival, Wulu Photo, operated by Joseph Wulu Doe, who parked his truck across the street.

As Rosa Photo rolled away, Wulu Photo emerged the victor of the longstanding Callowhill battle.

Police said that on Wednesday two undercover officers entered the truck and inquired about purchasing fake driver's licenses. Employees responded that forged IDs could be purchased for $25 or $40. They told the officers that the IDs could be scanned at various locations, and presented them with a book of state IDs to choose from.

Police then obtained a warrant and arrested four photo-truck employees on Thursday. Rosa de Braun, the namesake of the photo-truck, was not one of them, but Robert Braun, 59, was. The Brauns could not be reached for comment yesterday and their relationship is unclear. Police also arrested Xiaoye Han, 31; Barbara Jackson, 34; and Calina Salanta, 27. They have been charged with tampering with government documents, tampering with government records and identification, unlawful use of a computer and conspiracy.

Rosa de Braun started her business in 1991. After seeing her success, Doe set up shop right across the street in 1995. Seven years and countless police phone calls later, the city stepped in to resolve what had become a daily feud.

City Council passed a bill on May 20, 2002, that prohibited the trucks from parking on the same block as the INS, shifting them half a block east. The bill also stipulated that only one truck could operate each business and limited the number of employees who could bombard potential customers. Since then, Doe said, things were relatively quiet and both vendors stayed inside their trucks and out of trouble, until yesterday.

Despite his victory, Doe said he takes no pleasure in the apparent demise of his nemesis. In an interview yesterday, the proud Liberian-born businessman and part-time preacher from Southwest Philly said he was a man of God and as such, it would be immoral to rejoice.

This from a man who once accused Braun of practicing "voodoo" on him and of trying to sabotage his business.

Doe said he knew nothing about the police investigation or the fake-ID factory allegedly run out of Braun's truck. He did say that people occasionally approached his truck and asked if he made fake IDs. He'd turn them away, he said.

Apparently, word was out on the street that Rosa Photo furnished fake IDs. Two young women showed up yesterday and were disappointed to find an empty space where Braun had parked her truck. They decided to try Wulu Photo.

"I want to talk to you," a woman shouted into the back of Doe's open truck. "You the only person out here since they towed away your friend."

The woman said she wanted a fake ID for her underage friend so that they could celebrate her 26th birthday together at a club.

Doe refused and the women, who declined to give their names, walked away in a huff. *