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Shirley Luo says there's a problem with graffiti displays on small businesses in Oakland. ABC7News.com

'It's not my fault': Oakland Chinatown businesses say they're fed up with the city for fining them thousands after vandals repeatedly graffiti their properties. Now they're fighting back

Danielle Antosz
May 18, 2025
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Shop owners in Oakland’s Chinatown are fed up with vandals who repeatedly graffiti their stores and with city officials who keep fining them for it. It’s a never-ending cycle: the walls are spray-painted and employees paint over it, only for the tags to reappear.

But the city doesn’t seem to be going after the taggers. Instead, it’s penalizing the businesses themselves.

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“We cannot control [it]. We clean up and they come again. So many times, but the city — I don’t know why they are charging me money,” Shirley Luo, manager of Won Kee Supermarket, told ABC7 News Bay Area in a story published April 9. “It’s not my fault. Not our fault.”

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A day earlier, Luo tried to pay a recent $500 fine — but the city told her she actually owed $3,000, including late fees, according to the local broadcaster.

Locals are fighting back

Luo’s story isn't unique. Businesses across the city’s Chinatown say they’re receiving thousands of dollars in fines for not painting over graffiti fast enough.

“We close at 4 o’clock when we go home, and we cannot watch people do things like that. We can’t. So, the city has to help,” Susan Lam, another local business owner, told ABC7 News.

In an effort to help tackle the problem, the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council (OCIC) set up a program to paint over tags it spotted last August, per the broadcaster. It had limited success, but the group isn’t giving up.

“We are going to continue to go over the taggers and continue to put murals on until we get to a point where we have made significant improvement,” Tony Trinh, the council’s executive director, told ABC7 News.

Businesses also want city officials to take action.

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What are business owners asking for?

Shop owners want the city to shift its focus from fining property owners to penalizing vandals.

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“The city should go after the taggers. Like they did in Seattle,” Stewart Chen, president of the OCIC board of directors, told ABC7 News. “I won’t say prison or incarceration but at least a fine, so they know there are consequences to their actions. If they just let them come and tag us and leave without any consequences, of course they will come back.”

Seattle has reportedly spent millions of dollars to control its graffiti problem and employs around 15 full-time employees for removal. The city also aims to hold vandals accountable.

U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon echoed the Oakland business community’s frustration and told ABC7 News she’s hopeful newly elected mayor Barbara Lee will do “everything possible to address this policy and others that continue to trouble our business owners. We’ve got to do everything possible to keep businesses stable, to make sure that they are safe and that they can afford to do business in Oakland.”

Back at Won Kee Supermarket, Luo says the city’s current approach isn’t just frustrating — it’s unjust.

“Touch my money. Touch the owner’s money, [it’s] not fair,” she said.

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Danielle Antosz Personal Finance Writer

Danielle is a personal finance writer whose work has appeared in publications including Motley Fool and Business Insider. She believes financial literacy key to helping people build a life they love. She’s especially passionate about helping families and kids learn smart money habits early.

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