Oakland doughnut shop robbed twice in one week
OAKLAND -- Community members rallied around a beloved Oakland doughnut shop that was robbed twice in less than a week and three times since June.
Colonial Donuts on Lakeshore Avenue near Lake Merritt was hit by two robbers on Friday morning in the latest incident.
Surveillance video showed that, at 4:20 a.m., two people with hoodies and masks walked in as a worker was mopping the floor. A short time later, they hopped over the counter and went for the cash register. The frightened worker ran to the back for safety.
"And the kicker is they leave with the cash register and took a doughnut. I mean, how am I supposed to feel as a business owner here in Oakland? It's infuriating," said the owner of Colonial Donuts, who declined to provide her name for safety reasons.
On Sunday at 7 p.m., surveillance video showed a man with a mask walk in to the same store. The owner said the robber told the clerk he had a gun and demanded cash. The owner said the robber grabbed at least $200 in cash and ran off.
The same family has run Colonial Donuts since 1989.
"The violation. It makes you so angry. My family has been here for 40-plus years and this is the worst that they've seen in Oakland. What is going on and when can we see some real changes?" the shop owner asked.
Supporters rallied in front of the popular shop on Friday morning. At the rally, the general manager of Noah's New York Bagels, also on Lakeshore Avenue, said he too was also robbed twice this week.
"On Tuesday as I was going home, I parked right back here. As I'm getting to my car, these three guys with this black gun came up to me, knocked me down, took my bag. I had my iPad, my wallet, credit cards," said Fred Barzin. "And nobody came. I tried calling the police. Couldn't get a hold of them."
The day before, on Monday morning, Barzin said police did come after three men with guns robbed him in front of Wells Fargo across the street from his shop. He had walked over to try to deposit some cash. After the two robberies, he said he now only accepts credit cards. No more cash.
"The main priority now is to stop the crimes from occurring in the first place and conducting enforcement," said Oakland police deputy chief James Beere earlier in the week.
The Oakland police and Mayor Sheng Thao announced on Thursday that officers have stepped up patrols in the overnight hours to prevent commercial burglaries and robberies.
But critics want city leaders to declare a state of emergency.
"Right now, these are Band-Aid solutions. These are all superfacial responses to what's been ongoing. We need actual solutions that are sustainable," said Dr. Jennifer Tran, president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.
Tran and many business owners said the city needs more police officers.
"If we declare Oakland a state of emergency, that's a large neon sign for people to not come here," said councilwoman Carroll Fife.
Fife said the city is already getting help from the CHP and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.
Many business owners, like Colonial Donuts, say that's not enough.
"Us as business owners here in Oakland are constantly pivoting, adjusting. And when is the city going to adjust for us?" Colonial's owner asked.
Colonial Donuts is open 24/7. The owner said that, after three robberies in six months, they'll switch to window service only during overnight hours to protect the staff.