Jim (left) and Ken Giddon, the co-owners of Rothmans clothes retailer in Manhattan.
Stephen Yang for NY Submit
Kenneth Giddon has co-owned Rothmans males’s clothes retailer in Manhattan together with his brother Jim Giddon for 36 years. Final month the store in Union Sq. was robbed twice by marauding smash-and-grab gangs who terrorized staff and made off with 1000's of dollars in merchandise. An undaunted Kenneth Giddon tells The Submit’s Dean Balsamini that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and different NYC pols is perhaps giving up on crime, however he won't ever give up to thieves and thugs.
My retailer on 18th Road and Park Avenue South was ransacked/robbed by the identical group of younger males, twice within the final three weeks of December. I'm not fairly certain what the time period is when a gang of thieves (5 the primary time, eight the second time) overtly tears aside a retailer, assaults an worker, and grabs as a lot merchandise as they'll perform. They weren't notably troubled by their actions, and figured a repeat efficiency, since there have been no repercussions, was a good suggestion.
I've a spread of feelings. I'm embarrassed that we let it occur, particularly twice, though I do know that's considerably irrational. I really feel violated that one thing that we spent a lot time creating, curating and making stunning for our loyal prospects may be torn up in a couple of minutes. I additionally really feel responsible that I used to be not there to guard my crew, or change the end result in any method.
For the primary time in over three many years of proudly owning my retailer, I keep up nights attempting to course of what this implies for my enterprise, and in the end, the town that I like.
We referred to as the police each occasions, however the group was lengthy gone earlier than any assist may arrive. We've got moved ahead to boost our safety, and the police have been excellent about including patrols and protection in our space.
The responding officers have been skilled and sympathetic. They stated it was occurring all around the metropolis, however their message was very clear: Don't have interaction, the perpetrators most likely have weapons, and even if you happen to cease them, or we arrest them, nothing will occur. You'll waste your time within the system, and they won't be penalized. So the place does that depart us?
The cops stated, ‘We're going to catch these guys … however don’t anticipate these guys to do time.” That’s disheartening.
I'm not an professional on felony justice or reforms. I'm only a man that sells pants.
NY State bail reform, whereas nicely intentioned, has been very unhealthy for New York Metropolis. Too many individuals that must be incarcerated will not be. The power of perpetrators to rob my retailer, get arrested, and are available again the following day to do it once more, tears on the material of this metropolis.
I just like the message that new mayor Eric Adams delivered.
Nonetheless, that message was undercut by the subsequent memo by DA Bragg that he would cut back costs on numerous crimes. I do know he wasn’t the DA on the time of our incidents. However the memo was a punch within the intestine.
DA Bragg wants to understand that notion is actuality. If New Yorkers really feel unsafe, the town will battle to return again. If criminals really feel that legislation enforcement is lax, they'll commit extra crimes.
My staff are like household to us. They construct their careers with us. Nobody ought to need to go to work pondering they could be concerned in an assault that day.
DA Bragg was elected to implement the legal guidelines, not select which of them he needs to implement.
Not defending companies is actually a regressive tax on retailers: financial loss coupled with further safety prices and better insurance coverage premiums. Shoplifting and gang thefts are rising dramatically in NYC. Bail reform, and lesser prosecution allow criminals to return to what they do finest, many occasions on the identical day, emboldened and with out lacking a beat.
However we aren't giving up.
Rothmans has survived 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, the 2008 monetary disaster, the pandemic and looting in the course of the riots. In reality, we simply opened one other retailer on Ninth Avenue. So we're in for the long term.
I’m inspired by the truth that the DA heard of our plight and reached out to me immediately this week. We had a constructive dialog and mentioned a formation of a activity drive of shops and legislation enforcement specialists to cope with the state of affairs.
We imagine that the Mayor and the DA have to, and ultimately will, get on the identical web page about legislation and order. Then we are able to simply get again to what we do finest — promoting garments to New Yorkers.
We are going to go to work at this time, nonetheless loving, however typically hating, the best metropolis on the planet.
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