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Oakland store owners staged a two-hour strike on Tuesday to protest high crime and retail theft in the city.
Local ABC affiliate KGO-7 reported:
Business owners say the goal of this strike is to send a larger message to City Hall. They want better protection and support so they can safely operate their businesses and make a living.
Many of the participating businesses gathered in front of Le Cheval for a news conference on Tuesday to voice their concerns. The restaurant is closing at the end of the month because of the crime and slow sales post-pandemic.
Participating merchants say, just like Le Cheval, they’re losing customers and foot traffic because of car break-ins, carjackings, robberies and assaults.
Many stores in Oakland post signs on their doors informing the public that they have gone “cashless” due to crime.
Separately on Tuesday, the Target retail chain announced that it was closing nine stores in four states because of crime and retail theft. Three of those stores are in the San Francisco Bay Area, including one in Oakland itself.
Earlier this year, newly elected “progressive” mayor Sheng Thao fired Oakland Police Department chief LeRonne Armstrong after he irked the let by criticizing the Oakland City Council for cutting police funding as murders rose.
His firing was recently found to have been improper, after an investigation by a retired judge.
