Bodega owners rallied in the Bronx on Wednesday, demanding better safety measures and aid from city officials to increase security.  

The owners are calling on state legislators in Albany to enact laws to help protect their businesses. They say they want repeat offenders to be held to a higher standard when it comes to bail reform, so that they’re not released back onto the streets.  

This plea comes as the NYPD searches for the suspect in four recent bodega robberies: two in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx, and a robbery-turned-homicide in Manhattan. 

Owners say they’re looking for every possible measure to make sure their shops and their employes stay safe.  

“I’m feeling very, very afraid because there are too many crimes happening,” said Barbara Moreda, a bodega owner at Wednesday’s rally. “I’ve been living in this city 31 years, and I’ve never seen this before in my life. It’s a very, very difficult situation, you go to work, you don’t know what will happen.” 

Fernando Mateo, head of the United Bodegas of America, says he plans to keep urging legislators to hear the owners and act quickly.