Businesses in Oakland Jack London Square are speaking out about their crime concerns following word of a homeless shelter being planned in the historic district.
Everett & Jones Barbecue has been operating out of Jack London Square for a quarter-century, but they have barely skated by after the pandemic and recent spike in crime. The restaurant and other business owners in the area are worried crime could get worse because of the shelter planned in the heart of the popular commercial district
Oakland this year approved funding to convert the nearby Jack London Inn at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero into a shelter. But businesses have urged the city to reconsider the plan. Merchants said they’ve seen a decline in business due to crime and they worry putting one of the city’s largest homeless shelters in Jack London Square will shut them down…