Oakland, California, crime: Residents hunker down or plan to move

Amid a surge in crime in Oakland, California, police have advised residents to use air horns to alert neighbors to intruders and add security bars to their doors and windows. Certain violent crimes in Oakland continue to rise as the city is nearing a full year without a police chief.

Reports of violent incidents in Oakland rose 21% last year compared to 2022, while robberies climbed 38% and burglaries ticked up 23%. For the second consecutive year, the city logged 120 homicides. Fear seemed to ripple through every neighborhood — including Grand Lake, with its leafy sidewalks and buzzy shopping corridors.

Already in 2024, crime has shaped Oakland politics, fueling recall campaigns and calls for more police officers. City leaders are mired in a protracted and often divisive search for a new police chief, which has dragged on for nearly a year. Feelings of fatigue, desperation and outrage have reached a fever pitch.

“It’s pure fear,” said the Rev. Jayson Landeza, the pastor of St. Benedict Catholic Church in East Oakland, and a chaplain with the Police Department.

“African Americans are disproportionately hit the hardest by crime in East Oakland and other parts of the city. But residents from all parts of the city report that they do not feel safe,” they said in the letter.

The statement went on to accuse “failed leadership” of creating “a heyday for Oakland criminals.”
“We call on all elected leaders to unite and declare a state of emergency and bring together massive resources to address our public safety crisis,” the letter said.

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