NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— The Starbucks flagship location on Canal Street will be closing its doors on October 3rd because of concerns of safety and security.

All of the employees will be given the opportunity to transfer to nearby stores.

Sam Jeffries with Starbucks Media Relations said in a statement:

“Our stores are windows into America and every day, our partners witness the challenges facing our communities – challenges to personal safety and security, racism, a growing mental health crisis, and issues magnified by covid. These challenges play out within our stores – affecting our partners, our communities, and our customers alike.”

This letter was sent in July from Starbucks U.S. Operation leaders, on the issue of safety.

Over at Serio’s just down the street, Mike Serio says years ago there were always two police officers on this street.

“We had cops on every corner and that slowly went away. I can say its getting worse and worse around here. Nobody wants to come down here and I can see it, I mean my numbers prove it,” Serio said.

Wanda Johnson works at a nearby Starbucks Downtown and says, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I need Starbucks. I’m feeling sad because we always come here. I need it.”

We reached out to the Downtown Development District. They said in a statement:

“We are obviously disappointed Starbucks will be closing, but they are pleased that five Starbucks remain downtown. The DDD says they have dedicated over half of their budget to enhancing public safety, funding off-duty NOPD details, 24/7 private security patrols, and grants for business owners to install lighting and security cameras.