Small businesses in San Francisco’s Chinatown were among the first to close when the city shut down last year and now that the state has reopened, store owners say they need people to come back.
Customers have returned to Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, including some tourists, which is a promising sign for owner Kevin Chan. He told KCBS Radio the store, and many others, have been suffering for more than a year.
"Now as you see on Grant Avenue all the stores are closing, And they won’t be able to reopen because of this," Chan said. "We need to find a solution. But first, we need safety."
He also said amid the rise in anti-Asian hate, locals still don’t feel safe coming to Chinatown. That’s why Sheriff Paul Miyamoto stopped by to visit merchants, and handed out cards with the contact number for his office.
"We always send the message out if you see something say something," Miyamoto said. "If you can help each other in the community it’s very important to keep that messages going. We’re not past the hate, we’re not past the challenges and so I want to make sure by coming to this community today, we show that support that we are here to keep people safe in the AAPI community."
He added that his office is working with police to increase patrols in the area.
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