Weeks after a flash mob ransacked an Oakland gas station store, Mayor Sheng Thao visited the store’s owner, vowing to help support the business and work on solutions to curb crime in the Hegenberger corridor after yet another burglary.
In less than a month, Sam Mardaie’s store at the 76 gas station on Hegenberger Road has been burglarized twice, resulting in nearly $115,000 in damages.
It started with a flash mob earlier this month when dozens of people ransacked the store for 40 minutes, stealing everything in reach.
"I want law and order," Mardaie said. "We are law abiding citizens. I want whoever is going to take a chance to break the law to be held responsible for breaking the law."
Less than two weeks later, a group attempted to steal an ATM, ramming a truck into the store's door and assaulting an employee. When that didn’t work, the suspects stole cash and cigarettes.
In the meeting with Thao and police Chief Floyd Mitchell, Mardaie pushed for policy changes and more action from the city and criticized the mayor for not responding sooner.
"I got phone calls from everywhere, from different states, different politicians, and the one phone call we never got was from the city of Oakland," Mardaie said.
In response, Thao said, "I do know the sensitivity behind a situation like this, so I explained to the owner I always give victims some space and time, and then I come out and have a conversation with them."
Mardaie said he appreciates efforts by Mitchell, who has come out twice and sent OPD to the store to train employees how to report crimes more efficiently after concerns it took police hours to respond to the first burglary.
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Mitchell is now focusing on how to deploy resources most effectively to the area as Thao looks for additional options after the temporary increase in California Highway Patrol resources ends later this year.
"Looking at our deployment and what that deployment is going to look like as we attrition down to the new budget process, we are continuing to look at how we are deployed and how we can best manage show high visibility," Mitchell said.
Mitchell and Thao said it will take partnership with the district attorney’s office to hold criminals accountable.
"We are really going to have to lean on our partner organization, whether it is the sheriff’s department, working with the port, to figure out some sort of security mechanism, but these are ongoing conversations," Thao said.
