Willow Glen is known for its quaint charm and affluent San Jose neighborhoods, but a surge in crime is making local businesses uneasy.
Downtown Willow Glen, a small strip of shops along Lincoln Avenue, has experienced about 30 reports of vandalism and theft since June, according to San Jose Police Department data. Some of those incidents included more serious burglaries. The data includes two incidents at Icicles and Ume Tea early this month, or a break-in at Sushi Arashi last month. Those numbers pale in comparison to other areas like Santa Clara Street in downtown San Jose, with about 70 reports of break-ins and thefts between North Almaden Boulevard and South Eighth Street in the same time frame.
Local Willow Glen business owners said the uptick in vandalism and break-ins has them on alert for property damage. These petty crimes don’t often result in significant theft, a pattern businesses note as odd, but still cause damage.
An Icicles employee told San José Spotlight the person who broke in earlier this month was likely looking for shelter in the ice cream shop, after shattering the door and taking some cereal. It was a similar story in August, when someone on a bicycle hurled rocks through about six shop doors and windows, including kitchen and bath showroom Splashworks.
Eric Nelson, Splashworks owner, had to shell out about $750 to replace his glass door. He said these inexplicable instances appear to be on the rise in the quiet community bordering downtown San Jose. He added police haven’t caught the vandal who destroyed his door and pedaled away.
Ume Tea’s door was recently shattered in Willow Glen. Now, a piece of wood serves as the temporary door. Photo by Annalise Freimarck.
Nelson isn’t sure what the police can do to prevent vandalism, but said it’s a real issue in the neighborhood.
“You could say, ‘Hire more cops,’ but that means you have to have a cop on every street and every little business district and then what happens to the homes and cars that get vandalized?” Nelson told San José Spotlight.
A San Jose Police Department spokesperson said the department responds to crimes based on their threat level to life or property. Several department representatives recently attended a Willow Glen Business Association meeting to discuss best practices for crime prevention.
“SJPD works closely with local businesses and community partners to help keep our neighborhoods safe places to live and do business,” the spokesperson told San José Spotlight. “We rely on accurate reporting from the community so we can clearly identify issues and address them effectively together.”
Businesses have already been boosting security, including Footwear etc, next to Sushi Arashi.
Assistant Manager Melissa Horn said the store anticipates at least one break-in a year since it opened about two decades ago. She said the store is now scheduling two employees to close, rather than one, for safety when it gets dark. Horn added the store doesn’t keep much cash in the register, and people who break in often don’t steal inventory.
“We’re preparing,” Horn told San José Spotlight. “Eventually, unfortunately, it’s gonna happen.”
Anyone caught stealing can expect to face harsher penalties thanks to Proposition 36, which voters statewide approved last year. The legislation, which received broad support from San Jose officials, brought back felony charges for some thieves who steal property or money equal to $950 or less.
Still, District 6 Councilmember Michael Mulcahy said the Willow Glen community needs more enforcement and preventative measures to mitigate the crime uptick. Mulcahy represents the small neighborhood and his family owns much of the real estate along Lincoln Avenue. He said it’s personal to him because he grew up in San Jose, adding his office is working with police and the business association.
“Theft and vandalism hurt, not just financially, but emotionally. These awful acts can shake a business owner’s sense of security and impact community trust,” Mulcahy told San José Spotlight. “But time and again, I see resilience — business owners, neighbors and police working together to look out for one another, and that’s exactly how we’ll keep this community strong.”
The crimes are also concerning residents who love their neighborhood.
Joshua Watson-Mitchell, who’s lived off Lincoln Avenue for about three decades, said SJPD needs to be held accountable for not patrolling the area as regularly as he thinks it should. He said crime in the neighborhood is a sore spot for residents, adding he had to call the police about a man on his roof.
“It’s just seeing a cop going by every couple hours so that (criminals) know there’s a presence of the police department,” he told San José Spotlight. “I don’t think it’s really fair for the community to have to organize neighborhood watches and do all these things that the police department should be doing.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.