SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Businesses along Sacramento’s Broadway corridor are fed up with crime impacting an area that should be thriving.
It comes after an employee at a Chevron gas station was robbed at gunpoint in the middle of the day Thursday.
One business owner told ABC10 some employees and other business owners are in fear of losing their lives as they try to make a living and feel as if they have no choice but to fend for themselves.
“He came inside pointing a gun at him and ask him, ‘Open the till, otherwise I’ll shoot you,’” said Chevon manager Syed Naqvi.
Naqvi says the store has been robbed at gunpoint at least five times in the two years he’s worked there. The store was robbed twice on the same day in January 2024.
“Six employees already left this job. Six employees. This is so frustrating for us because nobody wants to work here,” he said.
Naqvi’s business isn’t the only one having a hard time. The owner of C&B Food and Liquor, a family-owned business for more than 30 years, says all businesses on the corridor are dealing with similar problems.
"For the last past four years, Broadway is very bad. It's not only the homeless people (who) come and do stupid things, (it’s) the regular folks too. They want to come and take things and they say call the police,” said Ram Dharmendra.
He says he calls the police once or twice a month, if not more. Businesses want to see the area thrive but feel their hands are tied.
"It's hard. You have to keep a watch, keep an eye, hire extra folks, right? And you have to pay them,” said Dharmendra. “Always watching, scared to come to work."
Business owners say the ongoing road construction isn’t helping either. It’s caused a lot of traffic in the area and they feel it’s deterring people from coming by. Add in all the closed down or abandoned buildings, too.
The Sacramento Police Department says officers regularly patrol the area and its Problem Orienting Policing unit works with the businesses.
Business owners don’t blame police for the problems but there are times they’ve taken it upon themselves to help each other when they can. The general manager of the New Helvetia Brewing Company says it’s going to take more than that.
"I think it's a collective, a community collective that's going to have to help to make Broadway more viable. (We) want people to come down here and spend their money at local businesses,” said Daniel Yambor.
Police say 30-year-old George Cole was arrested for Thursday’s Chevron robbery. They say the weapon he had was a BB gun. They encourage all businesses to report a crime, no matter how small it is.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Broadway corridor in Sacramento undergoing construction
