A Windsor business owner says repeated vandalism is taking a toll on small businesses already dealing with tight margins. Security video from May 31 at WindsorEats shows a man trespassing onto the outdoor seating area around 3 a.m. before breaking into a food truck on the Erie Street East property. According to WindsorEats owner Adriano Ciotoli, police arrived and arrested the individual less than 10 minutes after the business’s perimeter alarm was activated. But Ciotoli said the quick response also shows how much damage can be done in a short amount of time. “Even on the video, you can see he stopped when the alarm went off. Didn’t faze him at all,” said Ciotoli. “So, they’re not even caring about any security measures in place.” Ciotoli said WindsorEats has had about a dozen instances of people getting onto the property and trying to cause damage since the business moved to Erie Street East four years ago. In the most recent case, he said WindsorEats had a couple hundred dollars in damage, while Rico Taco — the food truck that leases space on the property — took the bigger hit. “They tore open the back door, which is probably a couple thousand dollars damage just to replace the storm door,” said Ciotoli. He said insurance is not always a realistic option for small repairs, given deductibles and the possibility of higher premiums. “So, it’s coming out of your pocket to repair and it’s not sustainable for repeatedly having to do that for any small business,” he said. Ciotoli said the issue is not limited to his business. He pointed to a recent incident in Ford City, where security video from Circuit showed three people entering the business’ backyard seating area on May 30, pulling down overhead lighting and leaving. A pastry shop across the street from WindsorEats currently has boarded-up windows. According to Ciotoli, that business stopped repairing its windows with glass because they were repeatedly being broken. “It’s happening to small businesses all across the city,” said Ciotoli. The City of Windsor is also dealing with vandalism in public spaces. At Lanspeary Park, the public bathrooms have been locked after porcelain toilets and sinks were smashed. Ward 4 Coun. Mark McKenzie said vandalism tends to increase in the warmer months and has become an issue at several parks across the city. “The majority of the vandalism is just teenagers who think it’s funny or maybe just have nothing better to do,” said McKenzie. “We’re not just seeing it at this park. We’re actually seeing it across the city as well.” McKenzie said the city is considering whether to replace porcelain fixtures with stainless steel models, which are harder to break. He pointed to one of the city’s self-cleaning bathrooms, which has a stainless steel sink and toilet, as an example of infrastructure that has held up better against vandalism. “The times that people have gone in there and tried to vandalize it, they haven’t really had much luck,” said McKenzie. “That’s a good sign. So, we’d have to weigh the costs.” McKenzie said the city is also looking at other ways to prevent damage, including more police presence, better lighting, and more programming in parks. “I think as long as we activate the parks and we have more people around, that’s going to prevent issues from occurring as well,” he said. For Ciotoli, the issue is not about blaming police. In fact, he said is very happy with the quick police response in the May 30 incident. Instead, he said the concern is the repeated stress placed on business owners. “I don’t think a lot of people are truly understanding the stress and the cost that this has on the small business when things like this are constantly happening,” said Ciotoli. He said one damaged door, one broken fence, or one stolen item may seem minor on its own, but “all these little things add up to huge expenses for small business.” “Restaurants aren’t trying to get rich quick,” he said. “They’re just trying to cover their expenses.”
