Oakland barbecue restaurant owner slams vandals
Horn Barbecue, one of the Bay Area’s top barbecue restaurants, was recently defaced with graffiti in West Oakland prompting an emphatic response from the restaurant’s owner.
In an Instagram post shared on Sunday night, owner Matt Horn said employees arrived at the restaurant to find the exterior covered in graffiti, and that vandals attempted to break into its food trailer parked outside the eatery.
This wasn’t the first time vandals tried to break into the food trailer, according to Horn. The trailer was temporarily closed for maintenance due to a break-in in July.
In his Instagram post, Horn blasted the vandals for attacking small businesses and restaurants throughout the city.
“You are nothing more than the filth that plagues our beautiful city,” he wrote.
As Oakland struggles to reduce crime, some business owners say they are grappling with the financial burden caused by crime. Some merchants closed their businesses for two hours in September to demand more resources to help combat crime. In response to public safety concerns, the city launched a program offering grants for events to boost foot traffic in business corridors and help the local economy. The city also plans to install 300 license plate readers throughout Oakland in an effort to combat crime.
Horn urged his fellow restaurateurs who have been affected by crime to unite.
“Let’s confront these acts of cowardice with a resolve as unyielding as steel,” he said. “It’s time we unite in an unbreakable front, showing these perpetrators that their attempts to undermine us will only reinforce our solidarity.”
A representative for Horn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.