A California glass business is seeing a surge in orders from customers purchasing bulletproof glass windows due to crime.
“It’s just sad the condition the community has gone in,” the store’s general manager, Joshua Pratchard, told the television station.
Oakland has seen a rise in violent crime and theft, with smash-and-grab robberies and reports of assaults on employees skyrocketing.
Violent crime in the city increased 21 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to the Oakland Police Department.
Additionally, a number of stray bullets have made their way into the homes of unsuspecting Oakland residents in recent months, according to ABC7 News. In September, a mother of two was killed as she slept when such were fired into her home one night.
ABC7 News also reported that a man who requested anonymity said a bullet recently flew into his apartment, just moments after he and his partner moved in.
Around a dozen rounds also went through a vehicle and home along MacArthur Boulevard—in southeast Oakland—on Dec. 11.
Consequently, more homeowners, and operators of city buildings, businesses, and schools have come to East Bay Glass for business, Mr. Pratchard said. “The bulletproof glass is 3/8th inch all the way to 2.5 inches,” he said.
However, the high cost can also be a deterrent, he said.
“It’s roughly $100 to $120 a square foot,” Mr. Pratchard said. “There’s glass that goes up to $350 a square foot. That is not with the installation.”
Mr. Pratchard went on to call the crime in Oakland a “double-edged sword.”
“It’s good for business but it’s not the kind of business you’re happy to take on,” he said. “It’s sad.”
