Dozens of Oakland business owners gathered in front of City Hall on the morning of October 29th (Tuesday) to hold a strike rally, organized by the Coalition for Community Engagement. They urged citizens to elect responsible city leaders to bring about change, effectively combat crime, and ensure community safety.
During the rally, which was the second business strike action organized by the coalition in response to the wave of crime in Oakland, two clashes occurred on site due to differing opinions.
Edward Escobar, founder of the Coalition for Community Engagement, called on the public to elect responsible officials to prioritize the safety of the people, businesses, and communities.
Carl Chan, Chairman of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, stated that many small businesses are facing livelihood threats, with some even having to cancel insurance. Even businesses with insurance are afraid to report to insurance companies after being robbed for fear of cancellation.
Jennifer Tran, of Vietnamese descent running for Congress in California’s 12th district, said that in the early hours of the day, a store in Oakland was robbed for the 12th time this year. She recounted an incident where a store owner was so worried about safety that they decided to spend the night in the store. Tran emphasized the need to rebuild Oakland so that people don’t have to fear for their safety even while sleeping at night.
Kanitha Matoury, running for Oakland City Council and owner of Spice Monkey and Howden Market for 17 years, shared incidents in the local area, such as a woman being assaulted on the street last week and a family’s car being stolen while they were out for pizza last night. She urged everyone to carefully examine all candidates to bring about change in the city.
Candidate for unified city council, Wenzi Huang, came to support Oakland businesses as crime has spread to the entire Alameda County. She stressed that victims come from different backgrounds, but crime has no color, and law enforcement agencies should handle cases fairly according to the law.
Tuan Ngo of Asians Unite organization told Da Ji Yuan that his white van was stolen with tools inside while being locked just 45 minutes ago. This year, his another van was also stolen, and when found, it was just an empty shell.
Last year, over 15,000 cars were stolen in Oakland, causing losses of around $5 billion. Failed policies leading to rising crime rates and business closures result in daily losses of over $100 million in property and job opportunities in Oakland.
Over 3,000 businesses have closed down, and this situation can no longer continue. The upcoming vote on November 5th will be a crucial moment to change the direction of the community.
Francisco Acosta, an Oakland real estate broker, shared with Da Ji Yuan that his business has declined by 50% in recent years, forcing his family to cut expenses and cancel trips to make ends meet. He expressed that due to the unsafe community, hardly anyone is willing to buy a house in Oakland recently. Living in fear and being continuously attacked by criminals while government officials are failing to respond, he urged people to vote to recall the mayor, current city officials, and the county district attorney.
As of the deadline, Mayor Tao Sheng of Oakland and County District Attorney Shan Zhen have not responded to Da Ji Yuan’s request for comments.