Business owners and residents in Little Saigon, Oakland are asking for help after a violent attack left a community member dead.
Surveillance footage showed an employee at Best Dim Sum on 7th Avenue and 12th Street chasing someone who had just assaulted him Sunday. The victim approached the suspect and confronted him for vandalizing vehicles in the square before she was struck with a blunt object, according to the Oakland Police Department.
The restaurant owner’s husband saw the incident and “it gave him a heart attack.
“So the owner’s husband and his colleague were both hospitalized and then he died yesterday,” said Chien Nguyen, a member of the Little Saigon community.
According to Nguyen, the owner is “suffering” and now has to “plan a funeral.”
Sunday’s incident highlights what many in the community say is a brazen, rampant crime that is going unaddressed.
In November, thieves rammed a car into the front of a family tobacco store located on the same square.
Thanks in part to Chien, concrete barriers are now installed in front of the store.
In September, Bruce Vuong said a similar incident occurred that led him to install an $8,000 barricade.
“They rammed a Jeep Wrangler into our buildings and stole quite a bit of equipment and money,” he said.
The city approved a plan earlier in the week to try to close a $129 million budget gap, which included canceling two police academies. OPD union officials said the closure would reduce staffing levels and reduce police overtime, leading to an increase in crime.
“I’ve been here 43 or 44 years. This city is in chaos right now and we need help,” Vuong said.
Community members said help is also needed for the owner of Best Dum Sum. Some said they planned to raise money to offset the cost of unexpected burials.
“I know there’s nothing we can do to bring her husband back,” Nguyen said.