BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — While the State of the City event pressed on the positives in Bakersfield, local business owners continue to feel the sting of reality as persistent property crime and vandalism continue to plague the city.
Julie Crawford is a business owner who has noticed the Old Town Kern environment change.
“It’s scary because these people were around but they weren’t aggressive, and they weren’t destructive and they weren’t attacking people,” Crawford told 17 News. “Now I’m worried when I walk to my car, somebody’s going to carjack me with my daughter in the car.”
Just Wednesday morning, vents torn from the building could be seen at Pyrenees Cafe. House of Talula also suffered smashed windows, the second time in the past week.
Local customers, including Aimee Rothkopf, see the decline in safety.
“It’s just a shame,” Rothkopf told 17 News. “The downtown Bakersfield area has a lot to offer.”
A local customer who is a business owner himself, Edward Weikel, said it’s senseless.
“I’ve been out here, had windows broke for no reason,” Weikel told 17 News. “Didn’t take anything, just broke the window just to be breaking it.”
Weikel has a strong opinion of the cause, and offered a solution.
“Oh I know it’s a drug problem,” Weikel told 17 News. “Like the sheriff said. He’s got 600 extra beds. Throw them in it.”
Crawford also commented on the consequences vandals must face.
“There needs to be repercussions for what they’re doing. I mean, they know nothing’s going to happen,” Crawford told 17 News. “If things continue as they are, it’s just going to get worse and worse and worse.”
17 News reached out to the Bakersfield Police Department for comment on the vandalisms, but they were unable to get back to us before airtime.
However, last week, Chief of Police Greg Terry told 17 News that BPD is working on putting together a task force to combat property crime in downtown Bakersfield.
