Oakland Food Truck Vendors Unite to Fight Crime

Citing a lack of response from police following a spate of crimes, Oakland food truck vendors are looking to hire security guards to protect themselves.

March 06, 2012

OAKLAND, CA - Food trucks in Oakland have been targets of violent crime, and a group of mostly older Latino vendors plan to fight back, pooling their money to hire armed security guards and install surveillance cameras, the New York Times reports.

Following a recent murder at a taco truck near East Oakland, the vendors no longer have faith that city police can protect them, so they have decided on self-protection.

"It could happen to any of us," said Shelly Garza, a former city worker who organized a vendors association, referencing the recent murder. "We must protect any future generations or any future owners from this happening."

A majority of Oakland??s Latino population live in the Fruitvale district, and Ignacio De La Fuente, the district??s council member, said, "Merchants are suffering the direct impact of police not being able to do their jobs."

The city has laid off 80 police officers since 2010, and it takes an average of 15 minutes for police to respond to calls of violence.

A police spokesperson said the department received only two reports of robberies at taco trucks last year, but many taco truck owners said they do not report crime because of a fear of retaliation.

"We get robbed and we don??t report it," said Edgar Galindo, whose father started Mi Grullense, one of the original Oakland taco trucks. "You??re too worried about your life and freaked out to remember the guy looks like this or that," he said. "What are the odds of them getting caught?"

Another vendor said police took 10 hours to arrive after he reported a robbery at his truck several years ago.

In Fruitvale, Garza said taco truck owners are recruiting businesses to pitch in for a security service, which she estimated could cost as much as $40,000 a month for 30 guards. City officials are concerned that the guards might carry weapons.

"I think we need to protect the taco truck business like we protect any other residents of Oakland," said Pat Kernighan, a City Council member. "There are problems with having armed security guards that are not police. There are liability issues."

Garza said 126 mobile food vendors have joined the association, but city officials estimate at least three times that number operate in the city.

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