'It's lawless': 16 Oakland small businesses ransacked near Hegenberger corridor

Sixteen small businesses were burglarized and ransacked in one single office building in Oakland over the weekend.

It happened near Collins Drive and Hegenberger Road. That's the same area that has seen multiple businesses close because of crime over the past several months.

"They kicked this one open here, you can see right there where they kicked it open," Ken Houston, director of the Oakland Beautification Council said.

Door after door, Houston showed us 16 small businesses that were kicked in and ransacked early Saturday morning.

"This is the remnants of the cutting of our fence right here," he said.

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Houston is also one of five owners of this office building on 8055 Collins Drive, near Hegenberger Road.

He believes thieves cut through two fences and broke in through an exit door on the second story.

"I've never seen it like this, it's lawless," Houston said. "They're not scared. It's called healthy fear and respect. They have no healthy fear and respect for the law - that's scary."

Houston says their space is an incubator for small businesses, with primarily Black and Latino owners, like Kris Prater.

"Every single time you go through the doors you're like eh, it's like someone slept in your bed who wasn't supposed to be in your house," Kris Prater, owner of Sneek's Barbershop said.

Their office building is directly behind the Denny's on Hegenberger Road that closed earlier this year because of crime in the area.

Their building, now covered in graffiti. Their parking lot, now overrun by campers.

It's just down the street from the 76 gas station that was raided by more than 80 thieves just three weeks ago.

MORE: Video shows dozens of people ransacking store at Oakland gas station

Video shows dozens of people ransacking 76 gas station on Hegenberger Road near San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.

"As more businesses close, we see what it leads to," LaTanya Hawkins, co-founder and office manager said. "We see people come and destroy businesses like ours and like our tenants and like the gas station up the street and so it's really disheartening because we're from here."

According to ABC7 News' Neighborhood Safety Tracker , burglaries across the entire city of Oakland are down by 21% compared to the previous three-year average.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao just visited this site last week with the deputy police chief and city Department of Transportation director over safety and traffic concerns.

Oakland police said they believe at least three suspects were involved, but no arrests have been made.

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