OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Oakland's Sole-Space Lab, a non-profit organization, was burglarized in early April, resulting in the theft of thousands of dollars' worth of shoes and supplies. Co-founder Jeff Perlstein estimated the losses and damages at more than $6,000. In response, the community has rallied, raising over $9,000 in online donations to support the organization's recovery and security improvements. The non-profit, which operates a sustainable shoe-maker space near 12th and Harrison Streets near Chinatown in Oakland, discovered its premises ransacked following the break-in. The stolen items included essential equipment for their classes, such as desktop sewing machines, a laser cutter and airbrush machines, alongside numerous pairs of sneakers. Perlstein, co-founder of Sole-Space Lab, described the extensive damage. "This backroom is actually the one we haven't gotten to cleaning up yet, so it kind of gives you a sense of what the rest of the place looked like," Perlstein said. Perlstein detailed the specific items taken by the thieves. "Took most of our desktop sewing machines we use for our classes. They took our laser cutter airbrush machines. A whole lot of shoes," Perlstein said. Many of the stolen sneakers held significant sentimental value, including pairs donated by the Golden State Warriors players. "The Warriors had actually donated a bunch of lightly used sneakers from the players," Perlstein explained. "You see these sizes -- they're huge, right? But they took all those pairs." Surveillance video captured two individuals walking through the lab after they allegedly broke in. Despite the losses, Perlstein made the decision not to file a report with the Oakland Police Department. He cited past experiences in explaining his choice. "In previous experience, we know that OPD has a whole lot of other priorities, which are important here in Oakland and in the grand scheme of things as far as a theft or robbery, it's not a huge amount of money," Perlstein said. This recent burglary is the first at the non-profit's current location, where it moved two years ago after experiencing previous burglaries at other sites. The community's response has helped mitigate the financial impact of the more than $6,000 in losses and damages. Beyond the online fundraising campaign, which exceeded $9,000, community members have also donated replacement equipment, including sewing machines. Perlstein expressed gratitude for the support. "We feel really heartened and uplifted and this isn't gonna slow us down," he stated. The Oakland Police Department issued a statement encouraging all victims of crime to report incidents. "We encourage all community members to report any crimes if they believe they are victims," the statement read. "It is crucial for crimes to be reported to the department to ensure proper documentation." The funds raised by the community are designated for the organization's recovery efforts and for implementing security improvements. Sole-Space Lab plans to continue its operations, supported by the ongoing community assistance. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published. ...read more read less