Business

Oakland Businesses Go On One-Day Strike to Protest Public Safety Issues

Oakland community leaders held a press conference Tuesday morning in front of Le Cheval restaurant to show solidarity with the community via a one-day business strike to call for the city of Oakland to do more for public safety and retail crime.

Published

7 months ago

October 5, 2023

Magaly Muñoz

The striking business owners hold signs during the two-hour shutdown on Tuesday. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

Carl Chan, former president of the Chinatown Business Association, announced the strike last week at an Oakland NAACP press conference where leaders and supporters of the branch called for an investigation into why the city did not apply for state funds that would’ve given police enforcement money to investigate and prosecute suspects of organized retail crime.

The strike took place at over 100 small businesses throughout the city from 12- 2 p.m. after the press conference on Tuesday.

Le Cheval, a Vietnamese restaurant, was chosen, Chan said, because, in spite of its longtime status in the community, the upsurge in crime over the last few years led to the recent announcement that they’re closing their doors on Sept. 30 after 38 years at 1007 Clay St. in downtown Oakland.

A 2022 crime report from the Oakland Police Department showed that auto theft, commercial burglary and carjacking have gone up significantly in the last five years. Commercial burglary showed the highest increase by over 50% since 2018.

Chan said business owners are making certain demands to restore safety in Oakland, including direct resources to support small businesses and public safety measures from all levels of government.

“We want to also focus on the solutions, what we can do together to make positive changes,” Chan said. “We want to invite everybody, including our leadership. This is not about division, it is about unity.”

Several business owners were called to speak about their experiences, one being Chef Nijel Jones.

Chef Jones of Kingston 11, a former Jamaican restaurant and now reggae lounge, said that his windows were being repaired that very morning because of a break-in that occurred a few weeks ago.

He said aside from the break-ins, homelessness is also a huge issue in keeping people from coming to small businesses. He went on to tell a story of an unhoused woman who came into his restaurant, asked to use the restroom and when denied access, made her way to the kitchen and relieved herself on the floor.

Jones said he came to America with the picture that this is the land of opportunity but now sees that we cannot fix any of the problems in front of us. He said the problems that businesses are facing right now are systemic and not a matter of whether or not a restaurant can make a drink correctly, but a concern of safety.

“Oakland has been known as a city that is OK with violence and crime. We’re not,” Jones said. “Look at all these people here, we are here to say we’re not OK with this, we want to be safe.”

During the remarks from the speakers, audience members started to yell their dissatisfaction with what the community leaders were asking from the city. Some said they wanted immediate solutions and didn’t care much about the funds that were being offered by the state.

Izzy Ahmed, owner of Ole Ole Burrito Express, said grants like the $15 million from the Real Public Safety Plan only make sense if the city actually intends to prosecute people who break into businesses. He said the efficiency of the police is not what it needs to be.

Ahmed said one-time payments like they were receiving during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic were also not enough to cover the multiple break-ins that were happening to small businesses. He said his restaurant had been broken into four times in one month and after the first report of the incident, his insurance no longer would continue their coverage, and says he’s not the only one this is happening to.

He said it’s hard to stay afloat when there’s so much money going into repairs and when he feels like no one is getting in trouble for their actions, so the community stays unsafe.

“They’re [his employees] scared,” said Ahmed, who has shops at two locations: 2216 MacArthur Blvd. in East Oakland and 2435 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland’s Uptown.. “When they come in and the store is broken, they feel unsafe. It’s hard to even find workers right now cause it’s unsafe for everybody.”

Chan finished out the conference by saying he wants Gov. Gavin Newsom to pay attention to what the community is asking for and to visit Oakland in hopes of listening to the community’s needs.

“We want you to come and talk to us because we need your [Gov. Newsom’s] help,” Chan said. “We need direct assistance for the businesses. We need to find ways to keep everybody safe.”

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper.

Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.

The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper. Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities. The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 8 – 14, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 8 – 14, 2024

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Mayor Breed Proposes Waiving City Fees for Night Markets, Block Parties, Farmers’ Markets, Other Outdoor Community Events

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events. The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. iStock image.

Mayor’s Press Office

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events.

The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. These events include night markets, neighborhood block parties and farmers markets, and bolster the City’s economy by supporting local businesses and attracting tourists eager to experience San Francisco’s unique charm and food scene.

They offer residents, workers and visitors, opportunities to engage with local artists, musicians, and food vendors while enjoying the San Francisco’s stunning outdoor spaces and commercial corridors.

The legislation will allow for more and new community gatherings and for local food vendors to benefit from the City’s revitalization.

“San Francisco is alive when our streets are filled with festivals, markets, and community events,” said Breed. “As a city we can cut fees and streamline rules so our communities can bring joy and excitement into our streets and help revitalize San Francisco.”

Fee Waiver Legislation

The events that can take advantage of the new fee waivers are those that are free and open to the public, occupy three or fewer city blocks, take place between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and have the appropriate permitting from the ISCOTT and the Entertainment Commission.

The applicant must be a San Francisco based non-profit, small business, Community Benefit District, Business Improvement District, or a neighborhood or merchant association. Fees eligible for waiver include any application, permit, and inspection/staffing fees from San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Public Health, Fire Department, Entertainment Commission, and Police Department.

Currently, it can cost roughly anywhere between $500-$10,000 to obtain permits for organized events or fairs, depending on its size and scope. Organizations and businesses are limited to a maximum of 12 events in one calendar year for which they can receive these fee waivers.

Food Vendor Streamlining Legislation

The second piece of legislation introduced will help special event food vendors easily participate in multiple events throughout the year with a new, cost-effective annual food permit. Food vendors who participate in multiple events at multiple locations throughout the year will no longer need to obtain a separate permit for each event. Instead, special event food vendors will be able to apply and pay for a single annual permit all at once.

“Many successful food businesses either begin as pop-up vendors or participate in special events to grow their business,” says Katy Tang, Director of the Office of Small Business. “Giving them the option for an annual special event food permit saves them time and money.”

Currently, food vendors are required to get a Temporary Food Facility (TFF) permit from the Department of Public Health (DPH) in order to participate in a special event, among permits from other departments.

Currently, each special event requires a new permit from DPH ranging from $124-$244, depending on the type of food being prepared and sold. Last year, DPH issued over 1,500 individual TFF permits. With the new annual permit, food vendors selling at more than four to six events each year will benefit from hundreds of dollars in savings and time saved from fewer bureaucratic processes.

“This legislation is a step in the right direction to make it easier for food vendors like me to participate in citywide events,” said Dontaye Ball, owner of Gumbo Social. “It saves on time, money and makes it more effective. It also creates a level of equity.”

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Faces Around the Bay: Sidney Carey

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland. Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Sidney Lane.

By Barbara Fluhrer

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland.

Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

He graduated from McClymonds High with a scholarship in cosmetology and was the first African American to complete a nine-month course at the first Black Beauty School in Oakland: Charm Beauty College.

He earned his License, and then attended U.C., earning a secondary teaching credential. With his Instructors License, he went on to teach at Laney College, San Mateo College, Skyline and Universal Beauty College in Pinole, among others.

Carey was the first African American hair stylist at Joseph and I. Magnin department store in Oakland and in San Francisco, where he managed the hair stylist department, Shear Heaven.

In 2009, he quit teaching and was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. He was 60 and “too old for a heart transplant”. His doctors at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) went to court and fought successfully for his right to receive a transplant. One day, he received a call from CPMC, “Be here in one hour.” He underwent a transplant with a heart from a 25-year- old man in Vienna, Austria

Two years later, Carey resumed teaching at Laney College, finally retiring in 2012.

Now, he’s slowed down and comfortable in a Senior Residence in Berkeley, but still manages to fit his 6/4” frame in his 2002 Toyota and drive to family gatherings in Oakland and San Leandro and an occasional Four Seasons Arts concert.

He does his own shopping and cooking and uses Para Transit to keep constant doctor appointments while keeping up with anti-rejection meds. He often travels with doctors as a model of a successful heart-transplant plant recipient: 14 years.

Carey says, “I’m blessed” and, to the youth, “Don’t give up on your dreams!”