Oakland Chinatown businesses say they're getting fined thousands for graffiti on their own property

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- In Oakland, Chinatown merchants are raising the alarm after many are being hit with thousands of dollars in fines for graffiti on their properties.

Shirley Lou knows how this story goes. On any given day, the supermarket she manages is tagged. They paint over it and then it happens again.

"We cannot control. We clean up and they come again. So many times, but the city -- I don't know why they are charging me money," said Luo, manager at Won Kee Supermarket.

On Tuesday, she tried to pay the latest fine of $500. The city told Luo she owes $3,000, which includes late fees.

"It's not my fault. Not our fault. It's somebody go to the roof and mark so many graffiti," Luo said.

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This is not an isolated issue. Throughout Oakland's Chinatown, business owners are reporting thousands of dollars in fines for not painting over tags fast enough.

"We close at 4 o'clock when we go home, and we cannot watch people do things like that. We can't. So, the city has to help," said Susan Lam, Oakland business owner.

For the month of August, the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council's executive director said they tried painting over every tag they saw but then things got worse. They are hoping to extend the painting program for a year now.

"We are going to continue to go over the taggers and continue to put murals on until we get to a point where we have made significant improvement," said Tony Trinh, executive director of the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council.

Now they are asking the city to take legal action against the taggers to help businesses survive.

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"The city should go after the taggers. Like they did in Seattle, in Stockton," said Stewart Chen, president of Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council. "I won't say prison or incarceration but at least a fine, so they know there are consequences to their actions. If they just let them come and tag us and leave without any consequences, of course they will come back."

Congresswoman Lateefa Simon represents Oakland. She said she called the city's interim mayor and is hopeful that after a new mayor is elected in the week of April 15, changes will happen here.

"In the first 30 days to do everything possible, everything possible to address this policy and others that continue to trouble our business owners. We got to do everything possible to keep businesses stable, to make sure that they are safe and that they can afford to do business in Oakland," said Simon said..

Businesses want action fast.

"Touch my money. Touch the owner money, not fair," Luo said.