New York City is suffering a business disaster, with 11.2% of storefronts empty, nearly double the 6% in 2019. Oswald Feliz is a Democratic City Council member representing District 15 in the Bronx and also chairs the small business committee, according to the The city and state must take action to stop the bleeding – particularly against the scourge of retail theft.
New Yorkers work hard, and none are harder than new small business owners.
These are individuals who spend long days and nights away from their families and are filled with excitement and pride at the prospect of owning their own store.
They work hard not only to achieve economic stability, but also to open new doors and opportunities for their children.
How disheartening is it for them to see shoplifters destroying their life’s work, knowing that they can get away with it again and again with impunity?
Would you be comfortable opening a business in a community facing this challenge?
Would it even be possible for a business to stay afloat under these circumstances?
There must be deterrence and accountability for those who profit from vandalizing the hard work of small business owners and harming our small business corridors.
It’s not a bad problem
These are not poor people who desperately need food and money.
We must sympathize and treat with compassion those who, for example, steal because they are hungry.
I have spoken with countless bodega and small restaurant owners and they have always stated that they would never deny basic necessities to someone in this position.
Many of these small business owners have faced economic instability before and know what that struggle is like.
But the real and growing threat lies in the small number of individuals who engage in theft because they know they can get away with it.
Those who walk into bodegas and retail stores and leave with all the expensive items, which they then resell.
When I meet with small business owners in my area – and I represent Fordham Road, the busiest corridor in the Bronx, along with Arthur Avenue and East Tremont, vital parts of the community – the No. 1 problem is retail theft.
Politicians who claim that bills decriminalizing shoplifting are not a problem and that the problems are exaggerated are denying this.
Before you know it, we have streets full of “cease business” signs. This harms business owners, but also customers, neighborhoods and the social fabric of the entire city.
Vandalizing hard work
We cannot accept a system in which individuals are allowed to vandalize their hard work – and profit from it.
The issue of burglaries also deserves attention.
In February, a bodega in the Bronx was robbed and the owner lost more than $100,000 in cash.
Imagine how many days and months this owner spent away from his family to save this amount?
Just think about the plans and dreams he had with these funds, including the possibility of growing his business.
And then, from one second to the next, his savings disappear.
This is unacceptable.
Recently, I introduced the Small Business Protection Act, to provide grants that would help small businesses cover security-related expenses such as cameras, plexiglass and alarms, to help deter illegal behavior .
I am also grateful that Governor Hochul has made this issue a priority and taken new steps at the state level to protect retail businesses and workers.
The benefits that small businesses bring to our communities are countless.
We must defend them now, before these empty storefronts become a scourge we cannot stop.
New York Post
