Oakland Businesses Owners Frustrated By Protests
OAKLAND (KCBS) -- Several downtown Oakland business owners are getting hit hard financially, especially following two protests after the announcement of the Johannes Mehserle verdict in July and sentencing on Friday.
Art manages the Mr. K men's clothing store at 17th and Broadway and said surviving not one, but two demonstrations within the past four months has been tough.
"We've suffered from all of this. The merchants downtown, we've felt this," he said. "My business is down probably 15-20 percent. Most of the businesses are down 30-40 percent."
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
Sammy Roberts is a marketing manager for the city and said there is a definite concern.
"We are concerned about every single business that exists in Oakland and the experience that that particular business owner might have," she said.
Roberts said that despite the hard times for some businesses, they are still trying to revitalize the downtown area, with ideas like freeing up funds to improve lighting in the area and launching a new shuttle bus program to bring in more shoppers.
"I think folks are beginning to see us for all that we are as opposed to just the rare stories," said Roberts. "This type of thing does not happen every day."
She said this past Friday, during the latest demonstration, several downtown businesses, including the Fox Theater, were packed.
But Art said there's a perception problem still lurking out there.
"People don't feel comfortable. They don't feel safe," he said. "And especially after how disorderly they were the last time. People don't want to come down here."
Art said big stores, like the Men's Warehouse and Sears, have the resources to take big hits, hits that could send mom and pop stores out of business.
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