Oakland's Chinatown on edge after more than 20 reported robberies, Chamber of Commerce president says

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Business owners in Oakland's Chinatown are on edge after a series of at least 20 robberies and attacks, often targeting women and seniors. The president of Oakland's Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Carl Chan has been collecting videos of these crimes and says he's talked to at least 20 business owners in the past two weeks who have been targeted.

In one of the recent attacks, a Chinatown shop's surveillance caught the moment when a man hovered behind a customer and snatched their wallet while trying to pay at the cashier.

Chan says the increase in crime is keeping shoppers away during a time when the neighborhood is suffering because of the pandemic.

WATCH: How are Chinatown businesses surviving during the pandemic? Here's what we found

San Francisco's Chinatown was one of the first neighborhoods to feel the impact of the coronavirus pandemic so we visited the neighborhood to see how businesses are surviving.

As a longtime member of the community he says this is the first time he's seen crime be this bad and is urging people to speak out.

"What you're seeing is only a fraction of what has happened in Chinatown," Chan says. "Many are not willing to, they feel that if they report it nothing happens. We have been trying to encourage them please report the incidents."

Chan believes with better reporting of incidents there will be more attention put on the neighborhood by law enforcement.

RELATED: Business owners in San Francisco's Chinatown collaborate to fight crime

A press conference will be held later this week on behalf of the merchants to address the recent crime and to ask for more resources such as cameras and extra police patrols.

ABC7 News reached out to the Oakland Police Department for a response but have not heard back yet.

See more stories and videos related to Chinatown here.