SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Multiple businesses in the Northgate community met with Sacramento police in hopes of addressing ongoing issues and crime in the area.
The meeting was held at the Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center building in Sacramento, where business owners said they’ve experienced robberies and vandalism to harassment.
A to Z Convenience, a family owned business, has served customers off of Northgate Boulevard for about eight years. But owners said since the pandemic, there’s been a noticeable wave of crime and issues at the store.
"The main problem is the homeless problem and the people's attitude,” said store manager Surinder Benweid.
He said he and other employees have been harassed, had their tires slashed, cars keyed and have dealt with theft regularly.
"Sometimes they say, ‘What are you gonna do?’ If I say something, they're gonna slap you. They did a couple of times. Look at the glass over here. That glass, they broke it like that," said Benweid, while pointing to a shattered barrier between the cashier.
Dine and dashes also impact nearby restaurants like Algo Bueno. A man was caught on video leaving without paying for roughly $200 in food and drink.
The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said it was made aware of some of these instances during a monthly meeting they've been holding through programming. During this, they realized how little businesses report the crime.
"There's just this feeling of ‘Well, even if we call, no one's gonna come and so we're just gonna deal with it and figure things out,’” said Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre, president and CEO of the chamber. “But the reality is you need help. And with our police department and code enforcement and all the partners here, there's a lot of people who want to make sure the businesses are thriving.”
She said a main goal is making sure businesses feel safe, prompting the meeting.
"A safe place for them just to share, ‘This is what's going on with my business. This is what I'm really concerned about.' And I'm worried that no one is paying attention to what's happening," said Rodriguez Aguirre.
Sacramento police said they want to hear how they can collaborate with other city entities to solve some of the issues.
For some, it’s as simple as increasing patrolling.
“We can ask just a little bit, you guys can come every hour, two hours just hanging around, look at the area, what's going on,” said Benweid.
"I think the mood is a sense of, ‘Wow, they came to listen to us’"
The townhall was place for police to listen to those who said break-ins and vandalism have become all too common.
Marbella Sala is the president of the Northgate Neighborhood Association. She said many community members feel there's not a good response from the police to their issues.
"I think the mood is a sense of, ‘Wow, they came to listen to us,’" said Sala.
The meeting included city leaders like City Councilmember Karina Talamantes.
"We want to make sure that small business owners know that we’re here for them, and that there are a lot of tools and resources available as long as we know what’s going on," said Monika Lee, chief of staff for the councilmember.
Organizers of the roundtable said it could be an important step toward turning the situation around on Northgate.
Sacramento police provided the following statement in response to ABC10.
Calls to the Sacramento Police Department are dispatched on a priority basis. That means officers will be dispatched to a violent crime or crime in progress before being dispatched to a report or disturbance type call.
With the current staffing levels, our response to lower priority calls are delayed. This is why we are working in partnership with other city entities, business partners, and local stakeholders to collaboratively address their concerns.
We encourage the community to continue calling the police so we work collaboratively to address their concerns with the appropriate resources in a timely manner, providing them with good customer service.
