Several merchants in downtown San Jose hope the city's renewed effort to crackdown on open-air drug use will save their businesses.
Many of the merchants are struggling to survive since the pandemic, but said it is virtually impossible now given other issues including drug dealing in the downtown area.
Jamie Whitmire, who owns the Holy Cannoli Cafe, said issues in downtown began piling up and peaked when she was robbed at gunpoint nearly three months ago.
"It's scary for me," Whitmire said. "Scary for me to come in and scary for me to leave. It doesn't matter what time it is."
Whitmire soon after closed her cafe on Santa Clara Street near City Hall, citing drugs and vagrants drove her out of business at that location. But she kept her catering business open.
Holy Cannoli is not alone in experiencing the problems plaguing downtown. Adjacent businesses also have padlocks on their doors.
"It's been really tough," Frank Da Barber owner Vince Deleon said. "We've been hanging on by a thread ourselves."
Deleon's barber shop has been part of downtown for more than a decade. But the owner said the economic downturn, coupled with the increasing incidents of open-air drug use by the unhoused and others on his block, are driving away customers.
"We've had people smoking meth pipes right here in the doorways with the businesses shut down," Deleon said.
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City officials said the downtown vacancy rate is now at roughly 7 to 9%.
Mayor Matt Mahan and police Chief Anthony Mata took action after NBC Bay Area's reporting on the issue, including video compiled by local residents showing drug dealing and using it at all hours. The mayor vowed drug dealers will be arrested and prosecuted.
Foot patrols by officers also became more visible and the city response to NBC Bay Area's reporting has given Holy Cannoli new hope with Whitmire planning to give her café one more shot.
"There's a continuous cycle of cops patrolling is awesome," Whitmire said. "I love to hear that they're taking them off the streets."
