The owner of an Oakland LGBTQ Latino nightclub is speaking out after a break-in last week he says is the 10th time his business has been targeted in recent years. To garner support, he is planning a community benefit this weekend.
As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Valentino Carrillo, a gay man, opened Que Rico at 381 15th Street in downtown Oakland in 2021. It came a year after the closure of Club 21, which at the time was the last bar in the Bay Area catering to Latino LGBTQs.
But Carrillo estimates he's lost $100,000 over the past three years making repairs due to the 10 burglaries. The most recent, on July 23, cost him $30,000, he estimates.
Carrillo described himself as "pissed" in a statement, and said that the break-in, at 4:23 a.m., led to damages and stolen alcohol.
Carrillo stated he was alerted to the burglary by an alarm system on his phone and rushed to the site of his club.
"By the time police or I arrived, the perps are gone," he stated, adding officers arrived first.
Carrillo alleged police didn't chase after the suspects due to Oakland Police Department policy.
"There were two cars that sped right past them going the opposite way down a one-way street as they were approaching and officers believed they were leaving the scene," Carrillo stated. "Because of the City of Oakland's no chase laws, the officers could not pursue the suspects."
OPD confirmed that the burglary happened "just before 4:30 a.m. on July 23, 2024, in the 300 block of 15th Street" and that "when officers arrived, they observed two unidentified vehicles speeding northbound on the 1700 block of Webster Street. They also located evidence that a burglary occurred at a business."
OPD policy states "pursuits may only be initiated when there is reasonable suspicion to believe the fleeing individual committed a violent forcible crime and/or a crime involving the use of a firearm, or probable cause that the individual is in possession of a firearm."
Just days after the most recent burglary of Que Rico, California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Oakland officials to reconsider their police pursuit policy, stating in a news release, "Although some California jurisdictions allow vehicle pursuits for only certain crimes (e.g., felonies), Oakland is an outlier by imposing exceptional restrictions on OPD's ability to police criminal activity, generally permitting pursuits only for 'violent forcible crimes,' as defined in OPD's policy, and crimes involving firearms."
Newsom continued that there is an "extreme danger to the public in allowing criminals to act with impunity, and the reckless driving associated with sideshows and other criminal acts is a significant threat to public safety — as witnessed regularly by the public in viral videos and news coverage."
Critics of police chases, however, maintain that police pursuits cause unnecessary deaths and injuries if an innocent victim is struck during an incident.
Earlier this year, San Francisco voters passed Proposition E, which, among other things, loosens their police department's policy on vehicle pursuits.
Carrillo also set up a GoFundMe, which has raised $380 of a $5,000 goal as of press time July 30.
Carrillo stated he is calling for an end to the police pursuit policy and for "City Hall to step up and do more for small businesses before more leave due to the crime in Oakland."
He is also hosting a free benefit event outside the club from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, August 3. The 15th Street Music and Drag Festival will feature Mistress Isabelle Brooks, a drag queen who competed on the 15th season of "RuPaul's Drag Race." There will also be music and food. Free tickets are available on Eventbrite.
OPD asked anyone with information to contact the burglary unit at (510) 238-3951, and to send any useful videos or photos to [email protected]
The investigation remains active.
Lesbian Oakland councilmember at-large Rebecca Kaplan and Oakland District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife, who represents the area where Que Rico is located, did not immediately return requests for comment.
Fife's opponent, Warren Logan, a gay man, did respond July 30. He called the safety issues Que Rico has faced a "travesty."
"Unfortunately, it's a story that I'm hearing all too often from many business owners," Logan continued. "Our LGBTQ businesses, and all local businesses, deserve a clean, safe, and vibrant Oakland where they can thrive and continue serving the diverse communities that make our city unique. It's clear that we need changes in our approach to public safety, including a greater level of coordination and technology integration, that will make a meaningful difference in combating crime."
Updated, 7/30/24: This article has been updated with comments from Oakland City Council candidate Warren Logan.
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