My family business, Buster’s Liquors & Wines, was opened by my grandfather in 1954 on what is now Elvis Presley Boulevard. 

In 1970, we moved to Dillard Square, which is now called University Center, at the corner of Poplar Avenue and Highland Street.

Opinion: In setting bail, follow the law and be transparent

We’ve been happy here and cultivated a very loyal clientele while continuing to grow our business and brand over the years. We even have plans to expand later this year by opening second Buster’s in November at Ridgeway Trace Center, located at Interstate 240 and Poplar Avenue. We’re also opening Buster’s Butcher, a full-service meat and cheese butcher shop, next door to our Highland store in July.

But last week, a pickup truck backed into our windows in a coordinated early morning burglary that involved up to 10 people and approximately 12 vehicles, causing an estimated $30,000-$50,000 in stolen merchandise and damages. It will take a good month to review all the footage and compile invoices on all the merchandise to file our claim.

As business owners, we know this has got to stop.

There have now been more than 100 separate liquor store burglaries in the past 16 months, as reported by Memphis police investigators working these cases.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in last week’s break-in. And we sincerely appreciate the outpouring of support, concern for our employees and disgust with all this crime sweeping our city that we’ve heard from our customers and neighbors.

After the burglary, we posted about it on social media, not just to speak for our fellow local wine and spirit retailers but for all local retailers — clothing, drug, jewelry, auto dealers and numerous others who have been victims of a massive retail crime wave targeting the city and country for the last few years.

It’s truly sad and unreal. 

Landmark Construction & Emergency Services, 1-800-Boardup and Binswanger Glass are numbers every retailer in this city now knows by heart. There’s also Frase Protection, Dillard Door Security Services, LSI Security Laminates, Federal Alarm Co., DataComm Electronics surveillance cameras and Black Flag Security armed security services.

All of these companies offer different solutions that work well in their respective capacities, and we appreciate all their efforts to protect our establishment. Still, we must do more to harden our store further, and we’ll be addressing that.

Please know we have great faith in our local police department, which will undoubtedly catch these perpetrators, as they did last year when they arrested all 15 individuals who burglarized our store on Shelby County election night 2022, Aug. 4, just hours after our new District Attorney General celebrated his victory directly across the street. It’s worth saying: This incident resulted in $40,000 in stolen merchandise and damages.

Of those 15 people arrested at that time, two are still in jail on unrelated federal gun charges. However, the rest are all out on bond.

As with all elections, it is only fair to give any incoming elected official the opportunity to assume their new role and time to work the office. But that time has now come and gone for our local elected officials. Our leaders and judicial system are failing the citizens of Memphis miserably, and we demand to see more positive results.

These liquor-store burglaries are but a microcosm of all the crime, including carjackings, car break-ins, gunpoint robberies and reckless driving on our streets. This crime is occurring daily and it’s out of control.

Since my store was broken into just one week ago, four more liquor stores were burglarized, an innocent 11- year-old had a gun held to his temple in an attempted carjacking last weekend, and numerous cars were broken into at an East Memphis church on Sunday morning.

Criminals now seem to have the upper hand in Memphis, and they know it.

The so-called “revolving door” and “slow walking” of our judicial system is abhorrent. Our courts are overwhelmed with the backlog of cases, and criminals are simply gaming the system, knowing there are not enough resources, beds and jail cells to manage them all. 

How do we even begin to catch up?

Conservancy could save Mid-South Coliseum

Greater Memphis Chamber CEO and president Phil Trenary was killed nearly five years ago, and despite a mountain of evidence, witnesses and supporting video surveillance, no one has been brought to justice. Trenary was the head of the chamber and our “City Champion,” and it’s utterly appalling how the case has been handled.

His poor family, who have left Memphis altogether, have been waiting to return for their court case to seek justice. This court case should be priority No. 1.

Until our prosecutors and judicial system hand out more swift, harsher and meaningful penalties as a strong deterrent, then this behavior will sadly continue. It’s plain and simple. 

My family loves our city, and we aren’t going anywhere. But there are many smaller businesses suffering greatly that can’t afford to be victimized continuously. Some have already closed their doors for good.

Elected officials, law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges: Your city is literally crying, begging and imploring you to get a handle on this crime, and soon. This lawlessness must stop.