Business in KC’s Marlborough neighborhood latest target for break-in

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Property crime has been a significant issue for neighborhoods all over Kansas City in recent months.

City leaders are taking steps to address the surge in thefts.

The Borough Food Hall was broken into early Tuesday.

The owner, Rodger Kube, says the damage and cost of repairs are unfortunate. Still, he’s mostly upset that someone did this to a business that operates with the purpose of creating positive change in the Marlborough neighborhood.

“We’re here because we’re committed to improving this neighborhood and building a world where people don’t need to steal, and they don’t need to harm other people,” Kube said.

The damage didn’t stop Kube from opening his Borough Food Hall on Tuesday.

He says it serves as a place where the community can come together, have meetings and discussions, and enjoy a meal, which makes the break-in more upsetting.

“So it’s really just disheartening when somebody feels the need to harm somebody else’s property and harm other people potentially in the process,” Kube explained.

This wasn’t the first time the Borough has been broken into since opening in 2022.

Douglas Van Meter, who owns an auto shop nearby, tells us he’s faced property and violent crime over the years.

“I’ve been at gunpoint. I’ve been here 10 years. I’ve had guns in my face and all kinds of stuff,” Van Meter said.

“You have to get rid of the riffraff first, and that’s the problem in Marlborough.

Kube says the new back-to-business grants introduced by Mayor Quinton Lucas earlier this month are a helpful solution.

Kube said a friend and fellow restaurant owner brought up the idea of a reward for information regarding property crimes.

Kube believes that would also help.

“Let’s make it worthwhile for somebody to speak up because somebody knows who’s doing this in these places. I mean, Waldo, Brookside, or here, if we all pitch together, we probably can come up with a fund that would make it really worthwhile for somebody to tell the truth about what their friends and neighbors are doing to businesses in Kansas City,” Kube explained.

FOX4 asked KCPD if police have increased precede and patrols in some neighborhoods hardest hit by the recent property crime surge. A spokesperson for the department said that directed patrols based on crime hotspots are a part of KCPD’s strategy.

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