An Oakland businessman says he is selling out and moving to Muscle Shoals after dealing with rampant crime for too long.
Derek Drake is a Bay Area native, the son of former Oakland Raider Art Thoms, who bought a string of laundromats 45 years ago.
According to ABC7 in San Francisco, Drake has been dealing with break-ins, thefts, vandalism and other crimes, all with criminals growing more brazen.
“Three out of past four nights people have tried to get into my laundromat. Out of four nights... that’s crazy!” Drake said in an interview.
In one security video, a person can be seen ramming a truck into one laundromat’s front window and stealing the ATM. That cost about $30,000, Drake said. In another video, men can be seen prying open the change machine, which had a $5,000 price tag.
Going cashless didn’t seem to change anything, and the attitude toward stopping crime factored into his decision. As he told NBC, it “seems California is the let-everything-go-state.”
Drake and his family moved in Alabama in June and plan on opening new laundromats, according to Inside Edition.
They have a big, new house with more room, but are adjusting to the culture shock.
“It’s just hard-working people living their life,” he said.
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