East Sacramento business latest in city to become victim of vandalism
SACRAMENTO — Times are already tough for many family-owned businesses, and now a series of smashed windows is adding thousands of dollars in extra expenses.
Another Sacramento small business has become a victim of vandalism.
Susan O'Brien is the owner of the Kitchen Table Gift Store at Alhambra and H streets. She said that someone had used a rock to smash two of her business's front windows last month during the overnight hours.
"The windows are pretty large, and so it's about $2,000 to get those replaced," O'Brien said.
Surveillance cameras caught video of a man in front of the store at the time of the crime.
O'Brien said the same man was also seen on camera throwing rocks later that day.
"He's come back to the store, not entered it but has looked in, kind of frightened some of our staff," she said.
It's the latest case of Sacramento businesses having their windows broken.
In the same month, Zanzibar on Broadway and The Good Bottle on J Street also had windows smashed out by vandals, but store owners say the suspects don't appear to be the same person.
"Every day, it seems like we're having a window broken out. We're joking around here that it's the 'city of plywood,' not the 'city of trees,' " said Amy Gardner of Midtown-East Sac Advocates.
The crime spree is frustrating for customers and neighbors.
"It's heartbreaking because we support these businesses," said John Morales of the East Sacramento Neighborhood Watch. "We want them to thrive. We want them to succeed."
O'Brien said that Sacramento police have reviewed the video and are working on an arrest.
"It's been a little unsettling, to say the least," she said.
Some people would like to see the city hire more police officers to prevent these types of crimes.
"We're short 78 positions and so what that means is that they can only respond to the most violent emergencies and they don't have time to respond to incidents like this," Morales said.
O'Brien said her store's landlord and the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce have come forward to help pay some of the cost of replacing the windows.
"It just feels like it's a matter of time before it happens again," O'Brien said.
