A mob of teens also forced Bath & Body Works employees to lock themselves in the stockroom for protection in Emervyville, California
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A Bay Area California councilman was speaking with shopkeepers about public safety before he was forced to call the police to report a crime of his own, according to CBS News Bay Area.
Emeryville council member Kalimah Priforce found that his "wallet and keys had been stolen from his bike bag" after visiting with business owners in Emeryville, California, Monday.
"A lot of stores that can’t afford private guards need panic buttons, a direct line to the police, so they don’t have to actually pick up the phone [and] call the police dispatch," he said.
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Emeryville councilmember Kalimah Priforce was speaking with shopkeepers about public safety before he was forced to call the police to report a crime of his own, according to CBS News Bay Area. (iStock)
That was before Priforce himself became a victim of crime when he was at Bay Street mall. "The thing is, they’re not going to get much from it," he said, joking that he was on "a politician’s budget."
Priforce also told Fox KTVU that the city needs to do more to protect local businesses.
"Better prepared, better cameras, better surveillance, better ways of being able to protect our local businesses," he said. "Unfortunately, we place more emphasis on luxury-rate market apartments in our cities than we do on our public safety."
Emeryville also became the center of headlines after "mobs of teens" forced Bath & Body Works employees to lock "themselves in the stockroom" for protection, according to CBS News Bay Area.
"Police said the drama started with about 50 teens in one store before it escalated outside," eventually resulting in one gunshot and stabbing, CBS News Bay Area reporter Betty Yu said.
Bath & Body Works manager Ashleigh Wells said that her employees were "very worried," also revealing that she never received communication from law enforcement as to the mob.
"Whether it's the law enforcement, whether it's the law management, just any communication about what was going on would've been great," Wells said.
"We get your typical rowdiness I guess, but nothing crazy," she added. "We've never been in a situation that was like yesterday, ever."
Bath & Body Works and Emervyille Mayor John Bauters did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History.
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