San Francisco has a damaged window epidemic. Small companies need town to assist pay for repairs

Just after midnight, two days before Thanksgiving last year, a shirtless man picked up a rock and smashed the windows of a home decor, crystal, and jewelry store on Market Street. He went away and did not steal anything, according to security materials that intercepted the act.

Seth Morrison, owner of the modern home interior business STAG & MANOR, chose to pay $ 2,250 to repair his window instead of paying a $ 1,000 deductible and risking his coverage costs rising.

“It was demoralizing because 2020 was a tough year,” said Morrison.

San Francisco small business owners, many of whom are struggling to survive, say more windows were broken during the pandemic. The Castro Merchants Association has compiled data from companies that have reported 91 incidents with repair costs totaling $ 165,000 since January 2020. Break-ins increased in most parts of the city over the past year, but only a quarter of the incidents in Castro resulted in break-ins.

Video: Courtesy of Seth Morrison

There is no specific answer to why it is happening. Some pointed to the pandemic that motivated crimes of opportunity and despair, as well as the curtailment of services to people who are mentally ill and appear to be causing some of these incidents, according to testimony and security materials.

“It’s more than frustrating. It’s out of our control, ”said Dave Karraker, co-owner of MX3 Fitness on Market Street, whose front door window was broken last January. “It’s not just a slap in the face, it’s a slap in the gut.”

In response, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman will propose a bill on Tuesday to reimburse small business owners up to $ 2,000 for each store window broken by vandalism or break-in for up to two incidents per year if they file a police report and file a claim with the city do. Non-chain companies with annual sales less than $ 5 million would qualify. The Bureau of Economic and Personnel Development would run the program.

Mandelman’s proposed relief is a short-term fix that would only last until August 2023 if approved, but he hopes it will put pressure on the city to band together.

“In my perfect world, we would protect our neighborhoods and our traders wouldn’t have to worry about someone throwing a stone through the window with a behavior problem, but this is not the world we are in, this is not the city, that we are in, and I think the city needs to take some responsibility for what these small businesses are up to, ”Mandelman said.

Mandelman had no data to prove who committed these crimes. The supervisor and residents agreed that more support is needed for vulnerable people in a city with a lack of treatment and affordable housing – as well as more crime prevention.

The San Francisco Police Department was unable to provide timely data on citywide vandalism, but a spokesman encouraged business owners to protect themselves and crime victims to file police reports. Police turned resources and stepped up patrols due to crime spots, he said.

The problem isn’t limited to the Castro. Last year, Supervisor Dean Preston started a $ 100,000 program with the prosecutor to reimburse business owners in his district up to $ 1,000 for every broken window. So far, 21 companies have been reimbursed and nine applications are pending.

That year, supervisor Gordon Mar advocated donating $ 1 million from the budget surplus to ruined businesses across the city. The program, slated to begin in June, would give small retail stores affected by a crime between $ 1,000 and $ 2,000 to invest in improved security.

Windows were broken three times last year in the Crystal Way store on Market Street, which was “excessive” compared to previous years, said one of the longtime owners, Kathleen Carter. She files police reports of break-ins but deemed it “pointless” for vandalism as it would be difficult to find the suspect.

She said she was fortunate that her deductible was only $ 250, despite several insurance claims increasing her cost of coverage by more than 25% this year. With her business doing well during the pandemic, Carter said she would be reluctant to ask for a refund if others needed it more.

Some business owners aren’t waiting for the situation to improve. Helen Woo, who owned the Face It Salon on Market Street for nearly two decades, retired in January. In addition to the pandemic, the main drivers were crimes leaving three broken windows that she paid out of pocket to fix dirty streets and mentally unstable or violent people. Her location on Lombard Street is much cleaner and quieter, she said.

Other traders are committed to the region and are grateful that the city may share the burden.

“You will feel more ownership and hopefully this will lead to more proactive solutions that could even reduce the number of such cases of vandalism,” said Morrison.

Mallory Moench is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench