A San Francisco salon owner says she is fed up with the rampant crime and mismanagement of the city after her business has been hit by burglars four times in a year.
Josie Li, owner of La Boutique salon, says she has faced some $40,000 in losses and repairs in connection to the string of robberies at her small business.
‘This is almost a national joke at this point for our city and it’s like we are trying to bring it up, we’re making this place as lively as possible,’ Li told KPIX. ‘We as business owners now have to be out here fending for ourselves, which is dangerous.’
San Francisco has seen a recent uptick in property crimes, reporting 410 robberies and 850 burglaries in just the first two months of the year.
In the neighborhood where Li’s business is located, northern district, burglaries up 30 percent when compared to the same time period last year.
Josie Li, owner of La Boutique salon, says she has faced some $40,000 in losses and repairs in connection to the string of robberies at her small business
Li shared a picture of one of the times her business was broken into on her social media
San Francisco has seen a recent uptick in property crimes, reporting 410 robberies and 850 burglaries in just the first two months of the year
Li told the local news outlet she and other merchants in the downtown San Francisco area are now starting to wonder if they can feasibly stay in the city.
Each time she has been targeted, Li said thieves have taken cash, electronics, and beauty products.
The salon owner also claims her mailbox has been pried open repeatedly by people looking to steal her mail and any of its contents.
Li said she is beginning to worry that her insurance may start to question if her claims are legitimate because of the frequency.
Last month, her salon’s cell phone was stolen and was taken just a half mile away, according to tracking technology.
Police, however, took too long to respond and could not locate the phone hours later.
‘When the police arrived, it was already couple hours after I found the incident and by then the phone was already turned off,’ Li said.
It’s hit after hit for the salon owner who says she already is struggling to bring in and retain clients after being forced to close for 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to ABC 7, salons in San Francisco were forced to shudder for nearly a year due to the virus.
When they were allowed to reopen in January 2021, heavy restrictions were put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.
In the neighborhood where Li’s business is located, northern district, burglaries up 30 percent when compared to the same time period last year
Everything from technology, cash, to the businesses cell phone have been stolen, Li said
Li, seen here, said she is beginning to worry that her insurance may start to question if her claims are legitimate because of the frequency
This is Li’s salon, located in San Francisco, California
Earlier this month, Democrat Mayor London Breed said she is requesting nearly $30 million in additional funding for the city’s police force
SFPD officials have also been making targeted attempts to address crime in certain pockets in the city which are prone to incidents
Data from the San Francisco Police Department shows burglaries and break ins in the Northern District where Li’s salon is located are up more than 30 percent from the same time period last year.
Earlier this month, Democrat Mayor London Breed said she is requesting nearly $30 million in additional funding for the city’s police force.
The San Francisco Police Department has encountered rising overtime costs for current officers as the force is experiencing a shortage of workers.
Between 2021 and 2022, the department saw a 121 percent increase in total overtime, according to KPIX.
SFPD officials have also been making targeted attempts to address crime in certain pockets in the city which are prone to incidents.
‘We have been working hard to address serious public safety challenges in San Francisco, but we need our officers out on the street,” said London Breed in February.
The San Francisco Police Department is currently experiencing a shortage of 541 officers.
‘While we are working on strategies to address our staffing shortages, we can’t wait to ensure our officers are able to provide the basic services our residents deserve and that our prosecutors can hold drug dealers and repeat offenders accountable,’ Breed said.
Li said she thinks the police force has been defamed so much that it’s causing the shortage and the headaches for business owners.
‘I think police in the individual level when I see them, they’re very sympathetic and then they are like – they do try to help, they do do their job and file the report and everything, but I do think that we have defamed the police so much, that we now don’t have enough police,’ she said.
Between 2021 and 2022, the department saw a 121 percent increase in total overtime, according to KPIX
The San Francisco Police Department is currently experiencing a shortage of 541 officers
In the meantime, the business owner said she has considered moving her salon but that it could be costly and could take valuable time and effort to start over again.
‘It’s been shocking, but also not only traumatic but just surprising in one of the greatest, expensive cities you would think that it would be able to sustain the business,’ Li said.
She continued, stating that the community benefit district is working with her to fund a security system for the time being.
In a statement to KPIX, a representative for the San Francisco district attorney’s office said they are ‘focused on improving public safety, restoring accountability and seeking justice.’
