The following article contains editorial content which is the opinion of the writer, follow him on Twitter.
San Francisco, CA: A frustrated small business owner has called out government leadership after their popular mom and pop bakery was robbed for the sixth time. The brazen and apparently skilled robbers also removed a commercial safe that was bolted to the ground.
Sounds like Ocean Eleven- or maybe the robbers knew the liberal politicians have their backs. Either way, not good for the once great city of San Francisco.
The bakery is a staple in the community. But both staff, ownership and regular customers have grown increasingly frustrated with the crime problems plaguing the city.
The owners, who were out of town on vacation, took to social media to voice their displeasure. They called out government officials- the San Francisco mayor, the governor and Pelosi, by writing on their business Facebook page that:
“@londonbreed [Mayor] @speakerpelosi @gavinnewsom if you cannot protect San Francisco’s small, local, family-owned businesses, how can our city thrive?”
Simple, you can’t.
They went on to say:
“…and this is just too sad. It happens over and over and nothing changes. Please. San Francisco and California leaders, do more to care for our city and its businesses. We deserve better. Our communities deserve better.”
Staff Speaks Out
Local news coverage camera crews toured the bakery to find broken glass and trash everywhere. They also found an empty spot where a heavy-duty safe used to be down in the basement.
Being the sixth robbery, with the last occurring approximately one month ago, the employees have become accustomed to it. It almost seems that they are now expecting it.
One employee expected a bit too much from the robbers, she told a local news team:
“I don’t understand why they had to trash the place also. I don’t get it, I don’t know.”
For those of you in the law enforcement community that do understand criminal behavior, leaving a robbery scene neat and tidy is not exactly a priority. Criminals are target focused and only care about achieving a goal, like stealing valuables. Everything else is of no concern- to include people getting victimized in the process. Thankfully no one was injured or killed in the robbery, nor the other five times.
The employee commented on the regularity of the robberies and said:
“It’s not our first rodeo, you know.”
Employees and ownership weren’t the only people upset about the continued robberies. Local residents voiced their frustration as well. A resident who lives across the street from the establishment told local news that:
“It just breaks my heart, these people are the best.”
He continued:
“All the city leaders need to be pitching in. You can’t just keep having business broken into.”
The resident then through his arms out in frustration and said:
“Like, where are the police?”
We won’t guess if the resident voted for Mayor Breed or Governor Newsom… but it is San Francisco.
Where ARE the Police
San Francisco being San Francisco, the police have been the targets of political prosecution. SF has also been on the nation’s forefront for the “defund the police” movement. SF has long since been a progressive, liberal city. But it has slowly devolved into a safe haven for drug addicts and criminal activity and the residents have taken notice.
Oh, how things have changed.
Being a liberal city with an agenda to go after well-meaning police officers have led to recruiting and retention problems. In a statement made over the summer by the SF Chief of Police, Bill Scott, he said:
“The situation is bad. Nearly a quarter of the department’s staff is, or will soon be, eligible for retirement. Some officers are staying on longer but in June, 50 officers called it quits. But only a dozen joined the force.”
We wish those dozen officers well.
Bakery Ownership Hopeful
The ownership posted on their Facebook page a bit of optimism and a potential solution.
“We hope our government leaders can host a summit of small businesses that are experiencing these same kinds of challenges. Hopefully we can all come together to help to present solutions.”
They continued:
“I believe our city’s recovery can be helped by our local businesses. We are the ones that bring life to our streets and neighborhoods. I am saddened to read in many comments that people are leaving or afraid to come here.”
It is certainly sad when a popular business has trouble attracting customers for safety reasons. Usually it’s low quality product, poor management and bad business practices that make a business go under. But not safety.
Only time will tell if the bakery experiences a seventh robbery. But we hope the government officials and the public as a whole embrace the law enforcement community so they can all work together towards a better San Francisco.
FOLLOW US
Want to make sure you never miss a story from Law Enforcement Today? With so much “stuff” happening in the world on social media, it’s easy for things to get lost.
Make sure you click “following” and then click “see first” so you don’t miss a thing! (See image below.) Thanks for being a part of the LET family!
