every store is CLOSED in Berkeley 

I was a Berkeley cop in the 70's. It seems the city finally has found a solution to shop lifting and commercial burglaries. With no stores open, there is no longer any theft. Problem solved.

Who would be dumb enough to open a store in a state that allows shop lifting

I live in Seattle and we are seeing the same exact situation. I also have a home in Texas and we are not seeing this happening there. If people keep voting for the party that runs these west coast cities, we will see more of this. Crime is rampant in blue cities because the mayors tell the police not to arrest people for theft or minor crimes. Also, changing laws so people can steal up to $950 without any serious consequences is a very bad idea.

And government officials would brag that shoplifting is down 100 percent.

We challenge the major news channels (CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, WSJ, etc.) to honestly do a report on such dire situation. If they do, then they might be considered as true journalism and being patriotic, since making up fake “news” to fool the viewers (fellow Americans) is very unpatriotic, close to being treasonous.

Sadly very few of the college students will understand or admit why this is happening. They supported the policies that got us here.

This is heartbreaking. I remember how vibrant downtown Berkeley was and how it was frequented by the UC Berkeley students. Now it looks like a movie set for an Apocalypse movie.

That`s not only a US problem, here in Germany many shops are closing down as well. Banks are closing everywhere. Shopping areas in some cities are more and more deserted. Everything has changed so much within the last 40- something years that I can consciously recall. And the pandemic seems to have this all sped up.

You can’t allow thieves to run wild in your city and expect the businesses to stick around. This is what you asked for. 😢

Moved my family out of that area after 10 years living there. Went from thriving busy family friendly place to 3rd world crime and filth. Couldn't walk without a threat or altercation from homeless/street people, surrounded by $1,000,000 homes. It all started around 2015 and by 2021 it was all destroyed by Government policy. The speed and total destruction of this community was not by accident.

You see blue cities collapsing everywhere. Turning into literal dystopian nightmares, but instead of paying attention to the horror, Democrats simply can't imagine why you don't want your cities and towns turning into the same thing!

Wow. I did all my young adult years in Berkeley/Oakland, and this is mind blowing, but worse, heartbreaking to me in the serious state of things this vast emptiness and abandonment implies. The world is a sad and frightening place; thank goodness for the moments of beauty we can all absorb in every day, even amid difficult days (I am nearly facing foreclosure...A full professional who worked hard all my life...and I am being spit out of what is my lifelong place). It is the story common to so many, amid many more severe stories. Sigh. Take good care, all.

We used to blame store closings on the pandemic. Then we blame people's rude and deviant behaviors on the stress caused by the pandemic. Now, we know the pandemic isn't the cause. It only brought to the surface what has already been rotting underneath for years.

The saddest part of this story is not that the bay area is going out of business. That was inevitable. It's that the people who voted for this Utopia are now moving to parts of California that are still decent and ruining them too.

As a College student (not attending the UC) who currently lives in Berkeley, and plans to relocate as soon as possible, I appreciate this public service of yours! I am sick of having to see all of this on a daily basis.

Thank you for doing this filming. I visited Berkeley - Telegraph Ave as a teenager when it was the summer of love - crowded with hippies. I lived and worked there in the 1980's for the University. Shocking to see how things have devolved.

This is what happens when you prioritize criminals and drug addicts before the productive members of your community. Businesses can’t function in this environment so they leave which just makes things worse for those who remain creating a downward spiral. Unfortunately the people who vote for these policies are completely detached from reality so rather than learn from their mistakes they double down and vote for more of the same.

For Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco it’s going to get worse. Thanks for sharing the truth. Sold my business, house and left few years ago. One of the best decisions on my life

Back in my day, they didn't call that 'art' they called it graffiti and it was a crime.

Who in their right mind would want to open up a business with somebody could walk in off the street and take almost up to $1,000 of free merchandise.

Meanwhile, CA legislature deeply pursuing how to arrest parents for not affirming their child… makes sense

I worked in S.F. for 17 years, Berkeley for 2 years, and Oakland for 3 years. I’ve always thought that the direction our state and local government leaders have been pursuing was not sustainable. Your videos validate this. I’m aware that many people will blame the pandemic,,, but it’s over. It occurred to me long ago that you get better at what you practice. If you practice making excuses for your inaction and failures, you will get better at being inactive and being a failure. Considering the vast resources we have at our disposal in the U.S. compared to other places around the world, it is not right that our major metropolitan areas should appear destitute. Okay, I’m done. I’m just frustrated.

Last time I was at Berkeley, about 3 weeks ago, it was very busy. A lot of shops are open and lots of people walking about. The places I went to: 1. 4th street, (unfortunately, Spengers is long gone) 2. North of University on Shattuck Ave. (Walnut Square), and yes, Chez Pannise Bistro and the main restaurant appears to still be there. 3. Telegraph Avenue, Bancroft to Dwight, very busy, lots of shops open. 4. Durant and Channing near Telegraph. Gotta go to Topdog! Yep, Topdog is still there. 5. Solano district, (still lots of shops) 6. Rockridge and Claremont district, (College Avenue near Ashby) ... lots of shops open and very nice to hang out. Nabolom's Bakery is still there... Nabolom scones are absolutely to die for! 7. And of course, the more Bohemian University and San Pablo. The reason for going here is to go to Everrit and Jones Barbeque. Unfortunately, KC, (San Pablo and Dwight), closed down a few years ago. However, one of my favorites, (Flints BBQ) is still open. Flints is still takeout only. However, The Star and Plough pub will allow folks to take their Flint orders into their pub. Nowhere else can you get to hang out with a real live folk, or Irish band, drink a pitcher of brew and have a big platter of Flint BBQ! Now, you are showing Shattuck between Dwight and University. Also, the closely related district of University between the UC and MLK Boulevard, (formerly Grove St). This area, sadly has been in decline for decades now. The only thing going on in this district is the UC Art Museum. However, the area just north of University on Shattuck, still appears to be fairly active. The problem with the Shattuck district is the rents are sky high, and none of the owners want, or are willing to upgrade their properties. Thus, Shattuck, between University and Ashby will always look like a warzone. The UC Movie Theater, sadly, boarded up many years ago. I remember going to see the midnight madness Rocky Horror Picture Show in the 1970's when I was just a young student at CAL. If you all did not notice ... Berkeley is one of my 'happy' places. I go there a lot with friends and family. The other 'happy' place for me is Santa Cruz area ... especially Aptos and Soquel.

As someone not from Berkeley but visits frequently, bc I ❤ Berkeley, this is SO sad. Berkeley is a very interesting place & had so many interesting places to eat & shop. I hope things start looking up. Thank God for the urban art

The empty building at Shattuck and University used to be an 85 degrees bakery. I used to live next to the Citibank. It’s not surprising to see that Walgreens closed, they were getting hit by shoplifters constantly.

Another eye-opening video. There has to be a major commercial real estate collapse coming. The owners of those vacant buildings are going to have to default on their loans. California is in big trouble. Thanks Leo

Good job Berkeley, CA! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Looks like there’s nothing to do there but walk around looking at a smartphone screen. Nice to see the old-timey washer machines are being repurposed as trash bins.

You reporting is the best. Straight honest videos of what's really happening on the streets.

You are showing what the “news channels” don’t report! Thank you!

When all the small businesses are gone, and the mid size chains close - There will only be Costco , Sam's / Walmart -and Amazon. by then the Cash will be gone !

I think penalties for smash and grab theft should be felonies, homeless people should be rounded up and put into mental institutions and drug rehabs. Once you have lost the will to live and end up on the street, then obviously you can't function as a human being and the state should step in and put you away. If you can't be part of normal society, then you lose your right to live in society. That's not harsh, that survival of the fittest. Look at all these major cities and what they look like now. It's horrible and shameful that our California leadership and leadership in other major cities are doing nothing about these issues!

Berkeley University should be next. California voted for this, let them live with it.

Gavin and Nancy (same family) must be so proud. It is insane that they are getting away with this without national exposure. Thanks Leo.

All the doorways of the closed businesses have become a urinal. Similar to most places in Oakland.

You never hear this on TV though. I'm glad people like you are posting these videos to show what a democratic run city looks like!

Thank you Metal Leo. I appreciate the time you take to make these videos and lettind us know what is really happening in the Bay area. What has happened to the government that our beautiful state of California is dwindling away little by little?

I do Uber and Lyft for living , I drive around streets and blocks in the bay every day .Trust me, I can see things drowning around,it’s so sad cuz I love this place. Im from a third world country and guess what , I can’t see much difference between here and there , except that here people pay half of their income as taxes for nothing.

Great job, Gavin. This is the record of presidential material here.

I attended Berkeley back in the thriving 80s. No way I could imagine that a main street in the town would turn into this. IMO the vagrant sitting between the "For Lease" signs at 0:46 is why San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, etc., are in the decline. Indeed, here in San Francisco, downtown workers don't want to come back to work in the Financial District. They don't feel safe, and employers discovering during the pandemic that people can work from home just fine, I see all the big cities turning into what Berkeley has become.

I had no clue thanks for your generosity with info. I'm in FL. Not quite yet.❤

I grew up in Berkeley 70’s/80’s I can’t believe how all of this stuff is closed yet they are building all these apt complexes. Companies are closing probably due to theft and/or rent prices outrageous!

I've lived in the bay area my whole life, democrat policies have destroyed California cities

I lived in Berkeley from 2016 to 2021. I used to walk all over the city frequently, especially these streets like Shattuck. What I'm seeing here is almost devastating. I had no idea how far gone this place had become after I left... almost ALL the stores shown here were still in operation before I left. This would have all happened in less than 3 years. It used to be so nice trawling the streets and seeing it bustling and all the cool stores, the drink shops, the book stores, the restaurants, clothes stores -- maybe it's not as bad on Telegraph starting from campus?? I don't know what to say -- it's very sad -- I guess I chose a good time to leave. Though in retrospect I saw tons of homeless on Shattuck so I'm not too surprised. 5:26 used to be a CVS.

My girl's best friend and her husband have openly stated they really dislike me because of my religion and views on life and law. The ironic part is they left Berkeley and moved to Oakland because of the disorder and costs. They are now complaining about the conditions in Oakland. The irony is that they now are insisting on decency, law, and order. The difference between us is I did not need things to collapse around me before I understood that good order must be maintained in order for good order to exist.

Aaannnnd, yet people (like some of my relatives) REFUSE to connect their blind, ignorant voting habits to the death of these cities, even though they ALL have ONE thing in common 🤔

My son-in-law and grandson went to Berkeley about 10 years ago for a Gymnasts competition next to the University. He described the area as looking like a third world country with homeless, drug dealers, and lots of really sketchy people hanging out in area around the Sports Facility. He was nervous about parking his car, but they had lots of security in the parking lot area that day. That was 10 years ago, so I can imagine what it looks like now.

Thanks!-Leo!-For Going By-WALGREENS Store@Allston Way&Shattuck Ave.-I Was-A Regular Customer-There!&Now-I Go To WALGREENS Store!-Near-Berkeley Bowl Marketplace!-Where One Door Closes-Another One-OPENS!&I've Seen-Employees@Other Stores-As Well!-Raymond "Mike" Hong!&(Good Luck!-Metal Leo&Everybody-Also!-Mike!)😎👍!!!!!!!!!

You deserve this, you get what you put out.

I was here last year in August . I stayed at the Graduate Hotel. It was so scary I made my friend move me to another hotel which was down the street. It was equally as bad. I hope to never go back to Berkley or San Fransisco . They are the walking Dead now!

A big round of applause for Governor Newsom and the Democratic Party! 👏👏👏

Thanks for doing a more honest video than the one you did in San Jose. Berkeley is 1/10 the size of San Jose, and you showed more closed places here FOR LEASE than you did in SJ, where some of them were slated for demolition and development.

I'm frequently in downtown Berkeley and my heart breaks for small businesses with no staying power in the face of ever increasing rents, which started during the 2008 financial collapse. I'd think at this point that so much money is being lost to vacancies that property owners would be motivated to provide incentives to businesses looking for homes.

This is insane. In 2009 I lived in Oakland and worked at TopDog hotdogs in Berkeley. It was such a cool place with so much going on. It looks like a desolate wasteland in this video. I can’t help but be suspicious that this is all by some kind of sick design.

For at least 30 years, Nancy Pelosi, and Gavin Newsom’s lack of leadership in these cities have caused a the demise of these cities. But this family bureaucracy had gotten very rich while the people suffered.

Many of us are dreaming of leaving the cities and moving out to the country to a small town, like in Wisconsin or Montana but we just don’t know what those towns are like. Maybe you could visit one of those nice peaceful towns sometime to give people hope for a better life

Probably easier to do an expose on what stores are still miraculously open in Berkeley!! My alma mater so sad and these used to be so busy and filled with students plus panhandlers!

It’s so nice seeing the few people left walking the streets, enjoying all the closed stores.

I had a friend who recently went to home to Berkeley and didn't mention any of this but of course he supports Gavin and would never criticize how he's destroyed the state.

Omgoodness...thank You!

I lived in Berkeley from 2010-2016. Your videos brings back a rush of memories. Berkeley was brimming with life back then, it saddens me to see this.

I would’ve never guessed when I left in 2013 that 10 years later the United States would’ve gone from uncomfortably crazy to completely collapsing

High taxes, high rent, high crime...what more could you ask for?

If they made an announcement that any business has the right to kill to protect its property, those places would open right back up. Then any thieves or looters would die if they stole from there and the streets would clean up quick.

This explains why shoplifters are traveling out of the bay area to the Big Valley to shoplift. Last spring I was walking around our local CVS checking prices while waiting out the 15 min after a vaccination. I was shocked to find a half gallon of milk priced at 8 bucks. Same price for a coffee creamer. So who is ripping off who.

I visited this area around 15 years ago. I remember being angry at the able bodied 20's something people sitting on the sidewalk begging for money. Look how far we've come.

I can practically smell the stench of Progressive social justice in the air.

Wow!Great video!!❤

So finally CA succeeded in making their cities affordable❓🤔 I wonder how much the rents are for these tenants.

My grandpa was a police officer in Berkeley from 1938 to 1968, and my uncle was also a police officer there from the 1950s until the 1970s. Berkeley was a BEAUTIFUL city until the early 1960s, when it was taken over by political a-holes who began their long trek to absolutely ruin the area. I remember asking my uncle once in the 1980s if he ever drove over to Berkeley from his home in Walnut Creek. He said, "No. It makes me cry to drive over there, so I only go if I absolutely have to". So the problems facing Berkeley began decades ago - not with Covid. 1. Drugs. When people use a high volume of drugs, weed, and booze it up, it doesn't take them in good places. 2. Not wanting to be good. If you want to be a good person, live a clean, decent life, then you're off to a good start. But if you live in a town like Berkeley, where most people hate the US, hate the values of this country, and want to tear it to pieces, then you're not going to have a good foundation for your society. You can do anything you want - absolutely anything - but you cannot avoid the consquences of your behavior and decisions. When your city allows and enables people to drive away the decent, hard-working citizens, then eventually you'll wind up with Detroit. And decades of single-party rule in Berkeley and 20 years of single-party rule in California is causing this, because the only people who have their feet held to the fire and forced to work, pay bills, and participate in society are being driven out of the Bay Area and out of the state of California.

This is a tragedy. I've never seen anything like this before. It can only get worse from here. Gotta be a big part of why so many people are moving out of California.

Thanks Leo!

OMG, this is sooooo sad...!!! Thanks for the video, bro. BTW, what microphone do you use for your videos? Do you have the product link to the microphone? Thanks.

I mean, everybody should have seen this coming when they decided that writing was peaceful and defund the police, and that we should let everybody out of jail and make stealing legal

This is the town I grew up in as a kid, until I moved out of the city in 1999, for personal reasons. I could not see myself living there anymore because getting a job was near impossible. I recognized the Radio Shack store on Shattuck street that you showed. I used to go there to get parts and tools, and whatever I needed. Now its gone. I figured that if San Francisco and Oakland looked terrible from your previous videos, there would be a good chance my home town Berkeley would too. I am never returning to California, and I am telling everyone where I live NOT to move to California.

I grew up in Bekeley and can remember when Shatttcuk Ave. was bustling and people were everywhere going into those cafes, boutiques and bookstores. I saw many movies at that UA theater. I've been to the California Theater too when I was younger. It's sad what has happened to Berkeley as well as neighboring Oakland.

Dowtown Berkeley used to be so fun, there were six movie theaters and a ton of great places to eat, bookstores, shops, it felt so lively. The last of the theaters were bought by developers to convert them into housing and I think everything is falling apart as a result. This video made me really sad. Thank you for covering this.

Could not finish this over how heartbreaking this is to watch. I attended Cal , graduated in 2015. The shops and cafes on Telegraph brought me so so many hours of happiness . This is absolutely heartbreaking .

Well, now city leaders can point to the drastic drop in shoplifting as evidence that their policies are working...

Used to always visit here when I lived in Pittsburg CA, the Campus was inspiring. The downtown area had great food spots me and my friends loved going to when visiting. Gay slice, blondies, artichoke pizza, Rasputin (the radio store) and all kinds of other areas like the place where they serve ice cream in a kitchen sink. Great memories, haven’t visited there in probably 4 years maybe 5.

I moved away from Berkeley 32 years ago and haven't been back. Now I know what Gertrude Stein meant when she said (upon hearing that her childhood home had been demolished), "There is no 'there,' there." Watching this video, I feel like a character in a science-fiction novel who takes a space journey of a few light-years and comes back to Earth only to find the wreckage of a vanished civilization. Weird! And not good 😥

Berkley voters should be ecstatic and celebrating 🍾🎉🎊!!!!!! They voted for this.

Government didn’t do nothing to resolve the problems here in Berkeley. I can’t fathom why it’s happening in California that crimes are allowed and the businesses have to shut down. What happened to our tax money and the law makers?

I left Berkely 25 years ago...what a big change. It was lively, people going here and there to BART, the theater, MacDonalds, Taco Bell and busniesses all over like everywhere? What happened...it's like someone died and it's shut for a funeral

I studied in Berkeley for one semester in the early nineties. It was a vibrant place full of life. Even as a foreigner (swede) this is just so depressing to see.

I was just driving around Los Angeles totally tripping out at how many For Lease signs I saw ~ Melrose / West Hollywood area. Complete blocks of businesses are gone. Lots of demolition of old buildings happening too. Without small businesses we lose the essence and uniqueness of the cities.

So, what else is new in Berkeley? Former resident here. The city is still vibrant, the buildings are intact. Change happens.

Finally, the multigenerational dreams of the Berkeley city councils of past and present come true!

I remember visiting there in the 90s/2000s, lots of people walking around and so many cool clothing shops and restaurants. It's devastating to see this new California.😢

Good day. Closing San Rafael. Thanks

Lived there 30 years, got out in 2015, surprised but not shocked at seeing what Berkeley has become.

weird how that works. when you legalize theft retail stores go out of business....who would have figured!?!?!

Major stores are going to have to go back to catalog mail order stores, due to idiot smash and grab/looters. 😡🤬

If only economies could run purely on cool street art and social justice. alas, they do not.

The people asked for it, the people voted for it, and the people got it. Next.

Another very important issue that I've been bemoaning for years is what a disgraceful image is created for visitors as they exit I-80 and travel up University Avenue. The street and sidewalks are *never* cleaned and the filth piles up between buildings. If I had a dog, I wouldn't let it walk on University. What must all of the esteemed professors, scientists, and dignitaries think as they pass the graffiti and filth on their way up to the university? They might also expect to witness some of the ranting and antisocial behavior that not infrequently occurs. There's no excuse! You only have to look at our neighboring towns of similar size to see how beautiful their entrances and downtown areas are. Apparently Berkeley's civic leaders would rather talk about anything except that.

They're so mortified at having to actually punish the offenders, that they're rather cripple themselves. Astonishing.

Our son attended Cal Berkeley and we used to enjoy the eclectic choices of restaurants in that neighborhood. So Very Sad!

I worked for Andronicos Market in Berkeley for 13 years..Telegraph,University and Shattuck all had stores...I worked all 3..This is what they call Progressive...I call it Regressive

I live very near the downtown area in Berkeley and have lived there since 2004, after moving up from San Diego. Over the years, I have seen the quality of life for residents in the city decline, especially over the last five years. One of the biggest problems, as I see it, is the lack of concern for the health and safety of the residents on the part of city officials. Police effectiveness in maintaining public safety is almost nonexistent and the real concern of the city is in the hyperaggressive enforcement of city codes and in pervasive fees, all for the common purpose of maximizing the city's revenue collection. The city has hired an army of meter maids who patrol the streets like hungry vultures. Another shameful practice of the city is in its complete negligence in allowing its streets to deteriorate to the point where it's almost like trying to drive on a lunar landscape. With taxes and fees so high and the nearly impossible parking situation in the city driving away potential customers, it's no wonder that businesses would just make the decision that it doesn't make sense to try to operate a business in such an unfriendly environment. I, and others, often drive to other cities to do shopping, to avoid the theft, vandalism and lack of parking in Berkeley.

I remember back in 1998 I used to go to western dental in Berkeley for my braces. I remember going in that bank and a Mexican restaurant. I remember the streets having radio shacks and record stores and all that. Every place you walked by was open and Berkeley was bustling. All that’s gone.