OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – “The hardest part for a lot of small business owners in talking with several is we really don’t know what the city is doing to curb this violence,” Victor Diaz said.
Another small business burglarized in Oakland. The latest to become a victim is Renegade Running on Grand Avenue near Broadway.
Surveillance cameras captured two thieves breaking into the store just before Monday morning.
As you can imagine, these store owners are frustrated and feeling anxious lately with all of these burglaries and break-ins.
One of the owners at Renegade Running says this is the third time they’ve been burglarized this year, and the 4th time since they opened a year and a half ago. Now, they’re just not sure how much more they can take.
“I don’t know how many more incidents like this we can take to keep our doors open,” Victor Diaz said.
Victor Diaz is contemplating keeping his doors open for business in Oakland after they were most recently shattered late Sunday night.
“It looks like two individuals broke into the store. They attempted to smash one window closest to the sidewalk and were not able to penetrate that window and then tried the door and were able to penetrate into the store through that door,” Diaz said.
Surveillance cameras captured the burglars going in and out of the store multiple times, filling several bags with items, and eventually taking off a getaway car parked right outside the business.
Diaz spoke to KRON4 on Monday as workers came to replace the glass door.
Between the shoes stolen and the damage, he says the theft costs the store at least $5,000 and this isn’t the first time.
Diaz says the running shop’s been broken into three times this year.
“So when you’re building community, we love being in Oakland and when something like this happens it’s just disheartening, of course, it’s a little sad and frightening,” Diaz said.
He says a lot of businesses in the area are on edge after the numerous burglaries these last couple of weeks.
“There are people who logically do not want to come downtown, do not want to risk being involved in any physical altercations with people, either saving the goods in their car or being witness to it in a store and again it feels like the police are so short-staffed that they’re not visible through no fault of their own and there’s no city or public officials that are out talking to us to find out either what they can do or to hear from them what they are doing so all of it feels like a big ball of frustration and in some cases feeling like you know, maybe there is no way out,” Diaz said.
In reaction to the many burglaries, robberies, and homicides this past week, Oakland police announced that they will have additional staff to address the increase in violent crime.