Oakland merchants say sales slump by half amid Occupy protests

[FarCenter]

Oakland business leaders called on the city Tuesday to move forcefully against Occupy Oakland -- and disband the encampment -- citing huge drops in sales for some retailers and fears about the city's reputation.

Mayor Jean Quan conceded that the movement has imperiled jobs. She called on Occupy Oakland to begin a dialogue to resolve the demonstrations peacefully.

Occupy representatives insisted they had no intention of harming merchants in downtown Oakland, saying the small retailers are members of the 99 percent.

But business officials pushed for immediate action. "The encampment needs to go away," said Deborah Boyer, president of the Lake Merritt/Uptown Community Benefit District. "It's become dangerous."

Numerous downtown retailers said the Occupy protests have slashed sales in half, and business leaders warned that Occupy and the city's response has spooked some tenant prospects.

http://www.mercurynews.com/real-estate/ci_19292499?source=autofeed#

[Vincardog]

1. Open you books and prove those allegations. Having a few thousand extra customers should not hurt a

business.

[Luminous Animal]

2. Yep. I would demad proof.

[redqueen]

7. +1

This reeks of more of the usual BS.

[FirstLight]

3. Pardon me?

The merchants are making a stink about the protests? I thought there were quite a few who shuttered up and stood in solidarity? :shrug:

besides, the first thing i thought of is that we are in economic warfare...and i guess some people are going to have their lives altered drastically...it's collateral damage, baby

[sabrina 1]

5. There were quite a few who joined the strike. This is

more BS. Personally I would not go to Oakland because of their brutal, criminal Police Department. Maybe that is why their sales are slumping. That Department has caused Oakland to be viewed by outsiders as a lawless place where the Police attack innocent citizens for no reason whatsoever.

Keep them off the street, and maybe their business will improve.

[SnakeEyes]

22. But if they didn't join the strike

and make $250K or more then they are part of the 1%

[Aerows]

4. The Oakland Police don't seem to be particularly effective

at making it "safe". Beating the devil out of people and shooting people isn't a solution for promoting sales, you know.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. Oh please. I'm just waiting for them to use the loitering laws.

The U.S. is famous for loitering laws to prohibit peaceful assembly.

[frylock]

8. citing fears about the city's reputation..

:rofl:

[KamaAina]

10. That might carry a little more weight

were it not for the Chargers avatar to its left. :P

[frylock]

13. to be fair, the city is a lot safer than qualcomm will be tomorrow night!

[musette_sf]

18. +1000

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. +1000

[KamaAina]

9. The Bay Area has been subjected to a barrage of these stories for weeks

one recently featured the travails of an upmarket restaurant in Old Oakland, at least six blocks from Oscar Grant Plaza. :eyes:

It'd be nice if the two sides could come together, with the Occupiers agreeing to spend more money in their new neighborhood, and the business owners coming up with creative ways to serve their new neighbors. That is, after all, supposed to be what capitalism is all about, is it not?

[KamaAina]

15. I just realized, because of Occupy, there are more people in that part of downtown Oakland at night

than there have EVER been. Usually, that area empties out into the nearby BART station and onto the freeways with a giant sucking sound at 5 each weeknight, to be replaced mostly by street people.

Now, however, there's an opportunity for these businesses to extend their hours, maybe sell hot drinks (cold rain is forecast for Friday), maybe add a catering menu to serve, say, a tray of noodles to a group of hungry Occupiers.

[SnakeEyes]

12. Whether it's small local Oakland businesses or not...

they are the 1%, they are what we are fighting. Either close shop and stand with us or face the consequences.

[KamaAina]

14. Many of the proprietors are immigrants

many can't afford decent health care, much less a living wage, for their employees. So no, they're not the 1%.

[sabrina 1]

19. Who are the businesses who are 'complaining'?? Do we have

names? Many businesses joined the OccupyWallStreet Strike, so clearly this is not ALL businesses. You are assuming something without facts. It is likely that the small businesses owned by immigrants are benefiting from the Occupation as is the case everywhere else. I doubt BIG businesses like Banks eg, are happy, but they are part of the problem so no one expected them to be happy about being held accountable finally since the Government has protected them and paid their gambling debts with the people's money.

I will call the Mayor's office tomorrow and ask for names of the businesses who are complaining.

This needs to be clarified. Those businesses who joined the Protesters WANT them there, so they should have a say in this. And since this movement is more popular now than both Political parties put together, I think the majority opinion should count for something in this country for once.

Not to mention the brutality of the OPD which is more likely to threaten business than any protesters as the city now has such a bad reputation because of their criminal behavior towards innocent civilians, many outsiders do not want to go there.

Reign in the criminal PD and business might improve there. It wasn't great before the protesters got there. Just another excuse to try to stop the people from exercising their rights. The mayor should have learned from Bloomberg who tried the same thing, until the polls showed that 80% of NYers felt the protesters had a right to be there.

[KamaAina]

20. You are probably right that it's a small minority of businesses complaining

naturally the Tribune and Chron would make a beeline for them. :eyes:

[SnakeEyes]

23. Was it really "many"

I've heard about some that did. Doesn't seem like its a lot of them... some, like Men's Warehouse, just paying lip service.

If the business didn't join the protest of the owner makes 250K or more then they are the 1%.

[SnakeEyes]

21. It doesn't matter what they "can afford".

If they make $250K or more then they are the top 1% we are talking about.

[KamaAina]

24. I doubt that a whole lot of downtown merchants are clearing $250K

the area is shunned by most national chains (except fast food, surprise, surprise). Most businesses are of the mom 'n' pop variety.

[zentrum]

16. It's not because of the occupiers...

But because of the police.

Downtown was hardly thriving to begin with. It's more populated now.

[me b zola]

17. What crap

Merchants should be with the 99% movement as a means of keeping the freaking multinational corps from devouring them.

[SnakeEyes]

25. Do we want our movement influenced by

Merchants making over 250K which makes them part of the 1%? I'd think they'd be likely to look at their own interests as well.