Bushwick-Area Small Biz Owners Frustrated With Police Response to Break-ins During the Pandemic
The time it takes investigators to arrive is more costly than if the establishment were to reopen without reporting the crime, said one local business owner.
Bushwick-Area Small Biz Owners Frustrated With Police Response to Break-ins During the Pandemic
The time it takes investigators to arrive is more costly than if the establishment were to reopen without reporting the crime, said one local business owner.
Small businesses are a substantial part of New York City, making up 98 percent of the economic fabric as of 2020. However, with limited resources and employees, small businesses are often targets for theft. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a string of break-ins in and around Bushwick, particularly in the food and service industry, and many business owners are frustrated with the police response.
The entrance to Cafe Moca days before the incident. Image provided by Allie Iliana Herrera.
The Bushwick location of family-operated Cafe Moca at 108 Central Ave. was broken into on Jan. 2. The gates were broken, the glass door was left in pieces, and the espresso machine was stolen.
According to Josefina Hernández, who owns Cafe Moca alongside her daughter and stepson, two officers inspected the scene at Cafe Moca after the filing of a police report. All evidence, including footage and images of the break-in, were given to the officers, but after 10 days, there has been no follow-up.
“If we had any evidence in the cafe, we don’t have that anymore because we’re cleaning. The cafe can’t be closed…
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