An Oakland business owner is frustrated after seeing one of his businesses broken into over the course of a few months.
Alan Liang’s burger joint on Hegenberger Road in Oakland is one of the last small businesses still operating in the corridor, but a recent robbery pushes Liang over the edge.
“We small business owners are trying to survive. But you know, it’s hard to deal with crimes, and it’s hard for us to stay open to do business,” Liang said.
Liang said three people burst into his restaurant, Hegenburger, early Monday morning and threatened his cook at gunpoint. The group demanded that he empty the cash register and hand over all the money before heading out the front door.
Liang said he is out hundreds of dollars.
“This is very consistent. You know, we see this every day. We see robberies, burglaries and carjackings every day,” Liang told CBS News Bay Area.
What happened to Liang’s burger restaurant is not an isolated incident. His body shop and towing company, located next door, were also affected within a year.
“A car was stolen from the towing company from our impound lots. And two weeks ago, someone came to the body shop to steal a customer’s car,” Liang said.
The Hegenberger corridor is a hotspot for criminal activity, especially theft. The weekend before Liang’s business was robbed, the gas station across the street was broken into. Over the summer, police responded to a series of 16 burglaries near Hegenberger and Collins Drive.
Ken Houston, the council member-elect for District 7, said the near-constant crime is killing a vital part of Oakland’s economic integrity.
“This area has deteriorated. It has deteriorated because of leadership and it has been forgotten. But they forget that we have an international airport,” Houston said. “Here we have the car dealers. Here we have Amtrak. This is an economic engine.”
Houston said small businesses cannot survive in the current climate of the Hegenberger corridor and need decisive action to ensure small businesses like Liang’s survive.
“We need to bring back the healthy fear and respect. I keep saying healthy fear and respect for what? Of law enforcement,” Houston said.
Meanwhile, Liang doesn’t know if he can stay in the area. He hopes that a new government can bring about change.
