SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — From recent shootings to increasing homelessness, businesses downtown say safety concerns are top of mind these days.
May Ling is the manager at Great Wall Express, a restaurant on Broadway and Fifth St. She says “every day is an uphill battle” for staff.
She says in recent years, things have gotten worse when it comes to safety in the neighborhood.
“I mean it use to be so peaceful, but now everybody is so aggressive,” she said.
This last weekend, her cameras captured police rushing to a nightclub across the street where a 32-year-old woman was shot just after 1:30 in morning.
Ling’s restaurant was closed at that hour, but she says even during the day their staff doesn’t feel safe. Just recently, she says a man threatened them with a knife when they wouldn’t give him free food.
“He came back and pulled a knife and we’re just like, woah, he has a knife…and we had like three tables in here that people were sitting in,” she said.
She says homeless people and those struggling with mental health frequently enter the restaurant. She does her best to diffuse aggressive situations.
“We’re scared. We don’t want to get injured. We just want a business,” she said.
According to a recent report from the Downtown San Diego Partnership, the homeless population has skyrocketed. It says in July of 2020, there were 677 unsheltered people downtown. By July of this year, that number jumped to 1,253.
Homeless advocates say that number will continue to rise until the county improves mental health resources.
Business owners like Ling – hoping change is on the way.
