Fear, frustration grow over robberies at Willows market Fear, frustration grow over robberies at Willows market (April 27, 2005)

** Police offer reward in La Hacienda Market robbery, and council plans special meeting for May 5.

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Fear and frustration continue to grow in the Willows area of Menlo Park after a spate of armed robberies at a neighborhood grocery store.

This weekend, residents assembled in front of the La Hacienda Market at 1933 Menalto Ave. with signs and fliers in English and Spanish, warning passers-by that the store had been robbed five times since September 2003 and calling for action from the city.

"Armed gunmen running down our alleys and speeding through our neighborhood pose a grave risk," one of the fliers read.

In the most recent crime, four men with handguns held up the market on April 16. It was around 10 a.m. on a Saturday, which threw extra fuel onto the fire for residents already leery of being near the market in the evening.

"I used to love walking around; I'm scared now," Willows resident Carolyn Fairman told the City Council last week. "I don't enjoy my neighborhood anymore."

Ms. Fairman was in good company at the April 19 council meeting. About eighteen residents jumped up to speak on the robberies, and the matter wasn't even on the agenda, which meant no formal action could be taken.

So the council is holding a special Thursday meeting on May 5, both to get an update on the police investigation, and to mull over the council's options on the matter.

Many residents have asked the council to ban or stringently regulate check-cashing in La Hacienda and other markets, saying the operation's large amounts of cash are a catalyst for crime. Police have also reported armed robberies at the Mi Rancho and La Michoacana markets, both located on Willow Road and offering check-cashing.

The council's options for regulating check-cashing appear limited. If the council passes a ban on check-cashing in stores of under 10,000 feet and within 1,000 square feet of a residential area, as some residents want, the ban would not affect existing operations, City Attorney Bill McClure has said.

Banning an existing operation could be possible if it were deemed a "public nuisance," Mr. McClure said, but added that more research needs to be done on what constitutes a "nuisance." More information is expected to be available May 5.

At the April 19 meeting, Willows resident Rebecca Alexander was the lone voice in favor of check-cashing, saying it fills an important need for Menlo Park and East Palo Alto residents who don't have bank accounts and use the money to buy groceries. She suggested that officials from the two cities work together on the robbery issue.

Several residents said they now are afraid to patronize the market and other businesses on Menalto Avenue, something that worries E. Gary Smith, the owner of Menalto Cleaners.

"It's affecting my business. People don't want to come at night. Now they don't want to come during the day," he told the council April 19. "Someone is going to get murdered, or someone is going to get hurt."

La Hacienda owner Ramiro Chavez did not respond to phone and e-mail requests for comment.
Safety steps

Another issue city staff members are looking into is how much the city can do to compel market owners to make security improvements, such as installing bullet-proof glass.

City officials say La Hacienda management have taken some steps to improve safety, such as hiring a security guard. Previously, management said they upgraded video surveillance systems and outside lighting.

Menlo Park Police Cmdr. Terri Molakides told the Almanac that La Hacienda management has been cooperative but that hasn't made all the safety upgrades requested by police. She declined to offer specifics because she did not want potential criminals to learn them.

Officers have gone to La Hacienda, Mi Rancho and La Michoacana to do security checks of the buildings and to provide security training, Cmdr. Molakides said.

"We've also worked with them to upgrade their business practices: don't keep large amounts of cash on hand, make frequent deposits," she added. "They, I believe, have taken those suggestions to heart."

Menlo Park is not alone in being hit by robberies, Cmdr. Molakides said.

"We've got a whole series of robberies that are occurring in the Bay Area that involve two to six black males at a time," she said. "They wear hoods. Their identity is concealed. At this time it's an assumption that they're all related to each other, but they could be copycats."

None of the robberies in Menlo Park have involved injuries that required medical treatment. But residents are scared that gunshots might be in their future, and Police Chief Chris Boyd told the council last week that the robberies are the top investigative priority in the department now.

Police are offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspects involved in the April 16 La Hacienda robbery.

The suspects are described as four black men with handguns and covered faces, wearing dark clothing. A green Pontiac Grand Am or similar vehicle was seen in the area before the robbery and may be linked to the suspects, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jill Jensen at 330-6362 or the department's anonymous tip line at 330-6395.
INFORMATION

The Menlo Park City Council will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5, on the recent armed robberies at Menlo Park markets. The meeting will be in the council chambers at 701 Laurel St. Call 330-6620 for more information.

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