position of power

As I said, the law enforcement involvement is wrong, but I don't blame the parlor owner for trying to do SOMETHING.

Not everyone owns a business, especially one that takes the hard work and makes as little money as something like a typical pizza parlor (there's a reason why they're notorious for not lasting long).

So imagine you hire someone to do some work for you, say just odd jobs around your house like fixing faucets, repairing some shutters. You go out of your way to hire someone who could use a break. For some reason it doesn't work out, say he ends up breaking more shutters than he fixes -- so you let him know that you no longer want him to do odd jobs for you.

Now the guy gets pissed and makes it his mission to start messing with you. He's calling your boss/employer, he's driving by your house and telling your neighbors what an a-hole you are, and all around trying to make your life hell because you didn't like the work he was doing for you. It begins to impact your job, maybe costs you a raise or promotion because it's viewed that you're now part of the problem.

So you do nothing?