After Smash-and-Grab Bank Robberies, Oakland Business Leaders Call for More Police

A group of business leaders in Oakland’s Chinatown is demanding an increased police presence to protect the commercial corridor following two smash-and-grab bank robberies earlier this week.

The suspects reportedly used a U-Haul truck to smash into the front windows of Sterling Bank and Cathay Bank, both located on Chinatown’s Webster Street, a few hours before dawn on Wednesday.

“These crimes are not just about broken windows and stolen property,” Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce’s President Stephanie Tran said at a press conference about the robberies on Thursday. “They are about the safety, stability and trust of an entire neighborhood.”

The thieves were able to make away with an ATM from Cathay Bank, according to a statement from the Chamber of Commerce.

The robberies hit a sore spot for public safety; Oakland experienced an uptick in property crime since the pandemic, according to a report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

The study, which was sponsored by a coalition of Oakland employers, revealed that between 2020 and 2023, reports of property crime increased by an average of 20% annually, and listed Oakland’s Chinatown as one of the target areas in the goal to “strengthen OPD’s [Oakland Police Department] real-time crime response and investigative capabilities.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakland’s Chinatown has also experienced a documented spike in anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes, fueled by xenophobic rhetoric and scapegoating.

Tran, other members of the Chamber of Commerce and local business owners gathered at Oakland’s Pacific Renaissance Plaza to air their grievances about the lack of police presence in the corridor.

Tran expressed a sense of collective outrage, “that our community continues to be a repeated target.”

Oakland Chinatown Chamber Foundation President Carl Chan pointed out that during pandemic years, which saw an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, Oakland police were deployed to the area in greater numbers, cutting crime “down more than 95% immediately.”

“We want to make sure that we have sufficient police officers on the street,” Chan said. “In order to do that, we have to put resources back into OPD.”

Tran said that while the community appreciated Oakland Police’s response to the incident on Wednesday, they would “like to see a more coordinated effort between city and law enforcement to protect local Chinatown.”

“Especially when we’re seeing incidents like this,” Tran added.

Oakland Police did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment or for the police report pertaining to the robbery.

Fiona Ngan, a manager at the Webster Street location of Cathay Bank, said she felt that Oakland Chinatown was being targeted.

“No one comes here,” Ngan said. “We need support, we need police, we need someone to make this area safe.”

KQED’s Eliza Peppel contributed to this report.