New York City Congressman Ritchie Torres introduced on Tuesday a new piece of legislation that aims to allow bodega owners to dip into federal grant money to fund panic buttons and other security measures.
The bill, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, is the latest in a push to protect the businesses after a spate of attacks on bodega workers last month left many of the small businesses on edge and spurred calls for more security measures.
“Unfortunately, bodega owners and employees often find themselves on the front lines of violent crime, jeopardizing their physical safety and their business’s ability to stay afloat,” the Bronx Democrat said in a statement. “I’ve heard countless stories from across my district of bodega owners being physically attacked and lacking the resources to defend themselves, which is simply unacceptable.”
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Rep. Ritchie Torres. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Bodega Owner Defense Enhancement Grant Assistance (BODEGA) Act is designed to “help combat violent crime,” in the wake of a series of violent attacks in delis.
On June 22, a 41-year-old bodega worker was hit in the head with a sledgehammer in a dispute after a couple went into the shop and demanded their money back for a hookah.
Just five days prior, a green-haired Osvel Diaz, 29, beat a 62-year-old Queens deli worker after he bumped into the worker. Diaz punched the victim, throwing him to the floor inside the store.
In February, a pair of thieves beat an Astoria deli worker with hammers after the employee confronted them, also smashing display cases.
The United Bodegas of America, an association of bodega owners, called for the installation of panic buttons and other security measures.
“United Bodegas is very thankful that Rep. Ritchie Torres is introducing this bill so that bodegas can have access to funds which protects bodega businesses and our communities,” Radhames Rodríguez, president of United Bodegas of America, said in a statement.
The bodega association launched a pilot program in late June to install $3,000 panic buttons in bodegas that are located in high-risk areas due to high levels of crime.
Fernando Mateo, the spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America, said the panic buttons could save lives by quickly alerting the police as well as anyone else — family members, friends or neighbors — who opt into getting the emergency calls.
“We are in a state of emergency,” Mateo said. “Not only bodega owners and their customers are getting killed, but community people are getting killed in front of bodegas. So we welcome and we appreciate what Congressman Torres is doing, but we need a little bit more than that.”
The bill would expand the use of Byrne-JAG grant funds to cover the installation of panic buttons and surveillance equipment in private businesses.
