The city of Antioch is offering financial help to businesses located in the city's higher crime areas.
Mayor Lamar Thorpe says merchants can get up to $20,000 to beautify their storefronts, but many business owners say, while the grants are nice, what they really need is more security.
Restaurant owner Jasvir Ark is barely making ends meet. His customers love his Indian dishes, but he says crime in the area keeps them from coming to eat there anymore.
"Right now, we’re helpless because we cannot convince our customers that we can protect you because we cannot even protect ourselves," he said.
Thorpe and city leaders gathered inside Ark’s restaurant Monday to announce that they’re giving $500,000 in grant money to businesses in the city’s highest crime neighborhoods.
"Some of the businesses continue to exist, but they may not have enough capital to make the types of investments that we’d like to see that improves not only their business but also improves the physical environment of the location," Thorpe said.
Business owners say safety and security are what's needed most.
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"The problem is we don’t have any support," Orchard Square property manager Karen Pelletier said. "We have security here, we have cameras, we have tenants that really care, but we can’t get police reinforcement. There’s not enough of them."
Pelletier said her tenants are constantly dealing with break-ins and vandalism.
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Thorpe acknowledged the city has a severe police shortage. He says the city only has 43 officers on active duty right now.
Ark said he won’t even apply for the grant money. He’s not sure how much longer he can afford to stay open.
"I don’t think any longer," he said. "My lease is coming close, so I’m about to tell her I give up. It is that situation."
Organizations can apply for funding at www.antiochgrants.com.
