In the aftermath of the May Day riots, businesses among Oakland's Broadway Auto Row are still cleaning up the mess and finding little relief from politicians.
"What gets me is that the police did nothing to prevent this, and now the city is doing nothing to help," said Erich Horat, owner of a repair shop damaged in the riots. He's stuck with a bill of about $3,000 and all the City of Oakland could offer was the promise of a low-interest loan. In response, Horat spray-painted, "Oakland Police, you failed your city again" on the boards covering his smashed windows, and later, "Riot Tourism... Visit Oakland... [Officials] will show you which block to trash."
According to SFGate, the damage to the new Hyundais in the lot targeted by protestors totaled $200,000. The dealership has the cars covered by insurance, but will still take a hit from selling damaged goods.
The general manager of Premier Hyundai took a zen approach to the incident. "Nobody was injured and the sun came up the next morning," said Rufus Keller. "I would like to see the perpetrators face justice, but I don't want anyone to go to the electric chair for this."
A spokesman for Mayor Libby Schaaf said the city was "focused on doing as much as possible" for the businesses on Auto Row. But so far they can only promise that they could make repairs without applying for permits, apply for a limited number of grants, and apply for loans that aren't in place yet.
Joe Abraham of American Auto Upholstery and Glass isn't happy with the city's response. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, they say. It's easy to apologize. What good is it? It doesn’t fix my windows."
Previously: May Day Protest Grows In Oakland As Hundreds Converge On Downtown