A newly introduced fund aimed at helping Kansas City small businesses recover from and prevent property crimes — offering grants up to $3,000 for damage repairs and $5,000 for security upgrades — is a step in the right direction, said Joe Giammanco, whose Waldo pizza shop was recently broken into.
“Programs like this are going to help small businesses like a restaurant that already runs in extremely low margins, get through,” the business owner said last Thursday outside his storefront, during a press conference announcing the city’s Back to Business Fund. “I’m really grateful for this. It helps us move forward.”
Would-be thieves broke in through a window Sept. 3 at City Barrel Pizza + Patio, shattering not only property, but the team’s sense of security, Giammanco said.
“We don’t carry cash in this business, and so the damage that this causes and the emotional hurt that has caused my staff is harmful,” he added.
Giammanco and his staff aren’t alone. Kansas City, Missouri, has seen an uptick this summer in burglaries and vandalism affecting small businesses in a variety of neighborhoods — with sprees regularly including as many as a dozen victims in one night — and there’s no sign the criminal activity is slowing down.
“In recent months, we have seen a lot of challenges — burglaries, break-ins, vandalism, and a number of issues — that are impacting our businesses throughout Kansas City,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas at the press conference. “So myself, and my colleagues on the city council, have said, ‘How can we try to help out?’”
A key goal for the Back to Business Fund: keep small businesses operating after experiencing crime.
Specifically, grants would help eligible ventures recover from incidents of burglaries and vandalism resulting in damages such as broken windows, doors, locks, graffiti, and other related issues. It would also fund eligible security measures, including security cameras and locks.
“When talking to small businesses, what I’ve heard from people is that occasionally you need a little bit of help when you have a break-in like this one, and you’re already living on thin margins,” Lucas said. “Maybe that extra few $1,000 doesn’t seem like a lot to others, but it’s a lot to you.”
The Back to Business Fund is expected to assist between 100 and 150 small businesses across Kansas City, with applications opening in early October.
Funding for the $325,000 grants program would come from the unappropriated fund balance of the city’s Violence Prevention and Intervention Fund.
No band-aid solution for public safety
Another recent crime victim agreed the fund is a positive move from the city, “but it doesn’t get to the root of the problem.”
“There’s an epidemic of crime in Kansas City right now, and it’s not being handled effectively,” Andrew Cameron, owner of Donutology, whose historic Trolley location in River Market suffered more than $3,000 in damages last week.
It was an all-too-common scene: a break-in caught on security cameras with few consequences for the culprits.
“It feels like we’re not prosecuting people,” he added. “We don’t have enough resources, and that’s affecting how safe people feel in their businesses.”
Cameron specifically criticized a lack of proactive measures to protect small business owners and their ventures, stemming, he said, from Kansas City’s police force being understaffed.
Tyler Enders, co-founder of Made in KC, said he was balancing gratitude for the new fund — seeing the mayor and city council taking steps to support local retailers who’ve been negatively impacted by the recent wave of property crime — with an awareness that more work remains.
“Long term solutions will need to include the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the KCMO Police, but also the larger community to ensure the people committing these crimes have greater opportunities to pursue,” said Enders.
A high-profile business leader and community advocate, Enders also highlighted the major role of the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office in collaborating with the KCPD to reduce property crime in the city.
“KCMO Director of Public Safety Melesa Johnson [the Democratic candidate for Jackson County Prosecutor in the Nov. 5 election] has a fantastic plan to create a new Property Crime Division supported by law school students,” he said. “That level of accountability paired with strong collaboration with the KCPD, will dramatically reduce these crimes long-term.”
City impact survey
Alongside the Back to Business Fund, city officials are conducting a Small Business Vandalism Impact Survey to collect data on how small businesses are coping with these crimes.
Additional policy decisions should be guided by the small businesses owners themselves, said Nia Richardson, KC BizCare’s neighborhoods division manager and leader of the survey initiative, emphasizing the importance of gathering first-person insights from entrepreneurs.
“We need more data to understand the full extent of this issue,” Richardson said. “Currently, we lack comprehensive information on how these crimes are impacting commercial businesses. This survey will help us understand not only the immediate impact but also long-term trends that could inform future solutions.”
Richardson also raised concerns about future events, such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which could lead to further disruptions.
“As more people descend on our city, especially with major events, there’s potential for an increase in incidents,” she said. “We want our businesses to be prepared and able to recover swiftly.”
As Kansas City grapples with the rise in property crimes, Lucas called on the public to rally behind small businesses, not just through financial programs, but also through everyday support.
“The other thing that those of you in the public can do is simple: come to these businesses, come shop, come eat, and come by,” said Lucas, urging residents to get out and support small businesses that are recovering from losses.
2nd District Councilman Wes Rogers, who also serves as chair of Kansas City’s Small Business Task Force, outlined the city’s efforts to address challenges, including building a low-barrier shelter, new mental health facilities, adding 144 short-term jail beds, and increased police salaries.
With these initiatives in motion, Lucas expressed optimism that Kansas City’s business community would soon see meaningful relief from both property crimes and the broader social issues fueling them.
“There’s a tendency to ask, ‘If this solution is not going to fix everything, then why are we doing it?’” said Johnathan Duncan, 6th District Councilman. “Because it’s important to show solidarity with our business community.”
“We’re not done,” he added. There’s still more to do, but this is just one more step and one more tool that we can use to show our business that we have your back.”
This story was originally published by Startland News, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
