Business owner leaves International District after break-in and vandalism

Business owner leaves International District after break-in and vandalism

A local business owner says he was getting fed up with the illegal activity on his store's front step. But before he could move away, he became a victim of crime himself.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A local business owner says he was getting fed up with the illegal activity on his store’s front step. But before he could move away, he became a victim of crime himself. 

Richard Johnson says there’s more to this story after he lost all his product. 

“Felt like it was time for me to leave this place, because people weren’t feeling safe coming to this area,” said Richard Johnson, owner of One Stop. 

Johnson used to rent a space near Zuni and San Pedro to operate his business, but in the short year he was there he noticed a trend.

“I started to notice the increase in crime and the needles, and people sleeping out in front of my establishing every morning, urinating, you know, setting fires in front of our doors,” said Johnson. 

He sells jerseys, hats and shoes online and used the location as a warehouse. But customers started telling him they didn’t feel safe.

Next door, business owner Patricia Baray says she has similar concerns. 

“The police, they come and take all their trash and stuff and make them leave. But they move to a different place, and it’s just, and then they’ll come back,” Patricia Baray, owner of PSG Graphics & Embroidery. 

Johnson was already planning to move in October, and during the process, he says someone broke in and stole everything.

“You feel violated, and you have a sense of like it was, it was helpless, you know?” said Johnson. 

He estimates $20,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, and he says he’s seen people walking around the neighborhood wearing his products. Then, weeks later, someone shot up his now vacant store.

“The five bullet holes when I walked in or when I pulled up, you had them all right here on the glass,” Johnson said. “I just felt targeted, to be honest.” 

After the vandalism, Johnson made a TikTok video and it quickly went viral. Weeks later, Johnson is starting over. 

“It takes a little time, but you can definitely see the progress. So it’s been amazing to be able to do that. And we’ve been able to generate some income coming, but most of that income is still going out, because we have to pay people, and we owe people, and we have to do things,” said Johnson. 

He opened his new shop on Menaul and San Mateo. It’s a work in progress, but he says it’s getting there. 

The string of crimes has his old neighbors thinking about leaving too.

“I’m planning to move because of the situation. And I’m like, I hate to move because I have a lot of machines, heavy machines,” said Baray. 

Johnson told us Albuquerque police told him to file self-reports. We reached out, and a spokesperson says there are no updates at this time.