Oakland small business owner laments dire state of crime: 'If I go to say something, I might get shot'

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Oakland small business owner details devastation city is facing if city’s leaders don’t step up

Derreck Johnson, owner of The Home of Chicken and Waffles in Oakland, California said many citizens’ and business owners’ livelihoods are on the line as crime continues to skyrocket. 

Dozens of small businesses in Oakland, California, participated in a one-day strike this week to protest crime, calling on city leadership to prosecute criminals and put more police on the street. 

Small business owners of restaurants, convenience stores, clothing stores and even doctor's offices went on strike on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon to draw attention to the city's skyrocketing crime. 

Derreck Johnson, the owner of Home of Chicken and Waffles in the formerly vibrant area of Jack London Square in Oakland, spoke with FOX News Digital about the impact the rampant crime has had on his business and those of countless others in the city. 

"You see this every single day, and it just starts to wear on you," he said.  

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The outside of Johnson's restaurant, the Home of Chicken and Waffles, in the Jack London Square area in Oakland.

"It's gotten to the point where actual individuals are getting robbed at gunpoint, and it's just really affecting our business," Johnson said. "Our sales are very low, I talk to neighboring businesses… it's time to come together and figure out a solution so that it stops affecting our business because people just don't feel safe coming downtown or to the Jack London area."

Johnson said it is frustrating when he hears local leaders calling the state of crime overexaggerated. 

"There's no exaggeration from me, I see this every day, every day," he said. "There's not a day goes by that I don't see someone stealing something out of someone's car in Jack London. What makes me feel handcuffed is that I can't do anything about it. If I go to say something, I might get shot ... Is that how we want to live? I don't want to live like that."

"Small businesses are the heartbeat of Oakland, small businesses are the largest employer in Oakland, and it's very important that the city, the state, the county, everyone recognizes how important small business is," he added. 

Oakland's business owners want an increase of 1,000 police officers, along with more support from city, county, state and federal governments, Fox KTVU reported. They are also calling on Oakland to declare a state of emergency.

Earlier this month, Oakland missed the deadline to receive millions of dollars in grant funding from the state to address retail theft. 

When Johnson opened his restaurant 20 years ago, he said he didn't face any of the current problems seen all over the city now. Smash-and-grab robberies and reports of assaults on employees, as well as patrons, have been rising across the Oakland area with the city’s entire violent crime category increasing 21% between 2022 and 2023, according to reports from police as reported by FOX News Digital.

Oakland police investigate a shooting in the Fruitvale Public Market plaza along East 12th Street and 34th Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.  (Getty Images )

"I've had to subsidize the last two payrolls because sales have been so slow," Johnson said. "People just don't feel comfortable."

Johnson said the crime he has witnessed and the closure of beloved spots around town prompted him to join the strike to get the city's attention. He said the area of his restaurant is a popular spot for tourists, and as a result, his patrons are often surprised when their luggage is stolen from their cars, or they are robbed at gunpoint on the street. 

"The first thing that happens is they run back in and then there's an issue with us as business owners it's like, 'Look, hey, you know, we're sorry,'" he explained. "I don't know who's from out of town, who's not. I try to talk to as many customers, but, we get busy in the restaurant, and sometimes we don't give the warning."

"I don't think people really understand because our area is a nice area," he said. "It doesn't appear like an area where that kind of crime would be taking place in broad daylight."

A beloved community spot, Le Cheval, which Johnson grew up going to, announced it would be closing its doors on September 30, which he said was the final straw in his decision to strike. A media conference in support of the strike was held outside Le Cheval, where owners said crime was a factor in its decision to close its doors after 38 years in business. 

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"I got to know their family, I had birthday parties there, my grandparents, we used to have lunch there, it just brings back so many memories, fond memories of fellowship and being with family and friends," he said. "I think everyone in the city feels that way, so to hear them closing down, it was like, 'Wow, this is real, like, I could close... I might go out of business.'"

Johnson said the closing of local businesses impacts the economy, but also the social fabric of the community. He explained that he, along with Everett & Jones BBQ, which sits across the street and has been in business for 50 years, adds up to 70 years of business and would result in 75 employees losing their jobs if they had to close their doors. 

"Most of my employees, a lot of them have come through my doors, are formerly incarcerated," he said. "So just the social impact that our businesses have on the community, it's huge and to see Le Cheval closing down, it hurts. I mean, it really, it's sad."

Because Johnson was born and raised in Oakland and has been in business for nearly two decades, he said the deterioration of the city and the uptick in crime is personal for him. Despite the dire circumstances, Johnson said he remains optimistic.

"I feel that us coming together as a business community and those of us that are willing to work with our leadership, I really believe we can turn this around," he said. "I think it's a wake-up call. I know that leadership is aware of it."

"It is time to stop pointing fingers and getting upset, but really working collectively, so we can solve this problem," he said. 

Johnson pointed to current legislation in place that he said doesn't allow police to go after criminals, leaving officers feeling "handcuffed."

"We talk to the police officers [and] it's like look, 'We grab these people, we arrest them, they're out the next day, they're out in two days. We're wasting our time,'" he said of his conversation with local police.

Johnson also blamed laws like Proposition 47, which reclassified certain low-level crimes, such as petty theft under $950, as well as drug possession and shoplifting, from felonies to misdemeanors. 

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"I come in and rob $800 or $500 worth of merchandise from you every single day, how are you going to stay in business? You're not," Johnson said. "Target out here is closing, when you see that CVS has left, when you see Walgreens closing down, it not only cripples your community because there's goods and services that residents cannot purchase, but those are jobs leaving your city."

"Those jobs that are usually employing people that are probably committing those crimes, so that's adding more to that population," he added. "It's really an issue, and we have to fix it."

Target and other big retailers are struggling to deal with theft in their stores.   (Reuters)

Earlier this month, the Oakland City Council passed a resolution aimed at increasing public safety, including plans to address staffing problems at Oakland's 911 dispatch center, enlisting the help of the FBI in investigating crimes, as well as plans to install high-tech cameras on freeway on-ramps and in business corridors, according to ABC 7. 

"We welcomed the opportunity to meet with any business owner that wants to work on collective safety solutions alongside our office," Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement released prior to Tuesday's strike, Fox KTVU reported. "I have been personally meeting with dozens of small business groups to fund and support initiatives that deter crime and promote safe streets."

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