East Lake Neighborhood Watch: 6-25-2022 Little Saigon Community Safety Request for City of Oakland 2022-2023 Mid-Cycle Budget Additions

June 25, 2022

Little Saigon Community Safety Request for City of Oakland 2022-2023 Mid-Cycle Budget Additions

On behalf of small business owners and community leaders of Oakland Little Saigon, the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce is writing to the entire body of the Oakland City Council and city leaders to respond to the dire needs of our community around public safety. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated old problems that have been festering for decades in our neighborhood: violence, illegal dumping, shoplifting, prostitution, and lack of government responses and services. Over the last few months, we have worked tirelessly with small businesses, community leaders in Chinatown, multiple media outlets, Oakland Police Department, and the office of Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas to address the high crime and lack of services in the Little Saigon neighborhood. 19X statistically has the highest crime activity in Area 3.

To meet the immediate needs of our small businesses and community residents, we are requesting your support in four concrete ways. With the Mid-Cycle budget finalizing just days from now, we believe that our requests– which include $110,500– align with our City’s values around justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We see these actions as emergency measures as well as forward investment in our communities who have felt long overlooked and neglected.

1) Per the suggestion of OPD Officers Beere and Wong, we request funding to establish an OPD substation in the Little Saigon in Eastlake, preferably at the Clinton Square Recreation Center

○ Due to the current fire repair construction, we recognize it is not possible to place the substation in the recreation center at the moment. Thanks to the generosity of one of our merchants, they are offering a temporary solution while repair work is happening at the center. An office is available for OPD usage at the below market rate of $4000/month for up to twelve months in order to provide some immediate relief to the community; this monthly rent is including all utilities and internet. The maximum total cost will be $48,000 for twelve months (07/01/2022-06/30/2023).

○ We urge you to support Deputy Chief Beere and Wong for their efforts and provide necessary resources and guidance for the implementation of the 4-points crime plan. We are currently working out the public safety details with Deputy Chief Beere and clarifying the specifications on proper safety parameters for officer usage.

2. Clinton Square Community Center- We urge you to support Council President Bas in her plea to pause the new licensing agreement from being signed by the City of Oakland and VACCEB until a community negotiation is completed. For numerous years the constituents in this neighborhood have demanded a seat during this process, including a 2019 community town hall attended by 100 community members convened by Council President Bas. We have been requesting shared access to this city-owned facility that will bring more tangible benefits to our communities who are immigrants, refugees, elders, and youth– including an ideal location for a police substation. Our community even fundraised for this building when it was impacted by a fire. We have had no access to this building that is in the heart of Little Saigon, to the point we have to bring generators to events and festivals.

3. Eastlake BID $62,500 budget allocation- We request that the initial $62,500 BID allocation be reinstated immediately. Per 2019-21 budget adoption, our community was allocated $62,500 for a BID feasibility report. Due to the unprecedented length of the pandemic and its impacts, the Eastlake agreement was unable to be completed. At this point, merchants, OVCC, and community stakeholders are organized and ready to resume the effort. The community benefits from the BID will supplement critical services for neighborhood resilience.

4. Vietnamese Representation-

○ We request that the officers assigned to the Little Saigon neighborhood in Eastlake be Vietnamese-speaking. We have not had a Vietnamese-speaking officer in thirty years. Community members, particularly monolingual elderly residents, often express their inability to report violent incidents due to the language barrier. We need someone who can communicate with our community members in regular and in dire situations.

Many of our community members did not leave everything behind in Saigon, Vietnam to come to a country/city, as refugees to be treated as second-class citizens. Of the refugee population in Oakland, Vietnamese residents comprise the largest percent. This is not simply a District 2 issue, as many people across Oakland and the Bay Area visit our neighborhood to enjoy our businesses and community events. Amidst widespread panic and fear, our small businesses and community members are choosing to stay in Oakland. Small business owners are fighting for their lives every day and there is a growing pressure from both business owners and residents to arm themselves in order to feel safe or feel like they need to move.

For many years, we experienced high turnover of OPD captains, community resource officers, and neighborhood services coordinators. Small business owners have been burglarized, community members are robbed in broad daylight, and storefronts have been set aflame.

● Sun Hop Fat Supermarket has experienced daily incidents of arson, robbery, shoplifting, carjacking (one time by a 13-year old child).

● Cam Huong Deli has had multiple thefts due to shoplifting (7x in one day); employees are victims of and witnesses to robberies and violent crimes.

● Anh Hong Bo 7 Mon had a fatal shooting in front of their restaurant.

● Owner of Kim Viet Jewelry has been sleeping at the store for over 2 years now. There have been multiple burglaries, currently 10 in the past year.

● The Lucky 7 Cigarettes experienced arson and car collision into the storefront; the owner says she is constantly living in fear.

Exhausted from the harassment and trauma, small businesses in Little Saigon have mobilized themselves to demand urgent actions from our elected leaders and the police. Our stories are featured on ABC7 and NBC Bay Area. OVCC has started a fundraiser to provide small businesses cameras and had multiple community meetings on public safety. We have started a social media task force to create accounts in order to bring light to the dire situation in Little Saigon. We are urging for regular community meetings and increased communication and transparency from Little Saigon Community Leaders.

The recognition of our lives and dignity must be reflected in clear, measurable actions by our elected officials and city leaders. We understand that the city of Oakland has many problems, and we want to be part of the solution. We need you, our elected leaders, to be part of the solution and prioritize our communities. Your action will not only enable Oakland small businesses of color to emerge from this crisis stronger, but restore the hope and trust that has been lost in Little Saigon.

On behalf of over 150 businesses in Oakland Little Saigon, Dr. Jennifer Tran, OVCC President Lynn Truong, Sun Hop Fat Supermarket Julia Mai Nguyen, OVCC Interim Executive Director Thinh Le, Kim Viet Jewelry Vinny Manguyen, OVCC Vice President Anna Wong, OVCC Secretary/ Saigon Printing Phuc Tran, OVCC Chairman Jim Chinh Nguyen, The Unity Council Business Assistance Senior Business Advisor Randall Whitney, Community Advocate Oanh Trinh, Lucky’s Cigarettes Sung Duong, OVCC Treasurer/Mai’s TV David Dang, OVCC Director of Operations/Dang’s Home Innovation Chien Nguyen, Quickly’s Dr. Tuong-Vi Le, International Optometry Minh Dam, International Pediatrics Bruce Vuong, Quality Tech Auto Repair Lele Quach, Cam Huong Deli Vanh-Hanh Nguyen, Mekong Realty Kim-Ai Thi Nguyen, Anh Hong Restaurant Mot Le, Da Nang Quan Tuan & Trang Nguyen, Pho Vy Tien Dam, Pho King Gary Thanh Thai, Thanh Ky Restaurant Lien Nguyen, The Unity Council Business Assistance Business Advisor Nolan Wong, International Laundromat Thanh Tran, US Tours Kim Tuyen Tran, Property Owner Simon Liu, V&J Fusion Kathy Dwyer, Community Advocate Diep Nguyen, Pho Mekong

CC: Oakland City Council Members Hon. Libby Schaaf, Mayor Mr. Ed Reiskin, City Administrator Mr. LeRonne Armstrong, Chief of Police Micah Hinkle, Economic & Workforce Development