Why is Oaklands crime rate higher than most? (San Francisco, Merced: condo, neighborhood)

[bmw335xi]

Someone from Oakland calling San Francisco a crime ridden place is like an obese person calling an average sized person fat. It's quite hilarious lol.

[Sunny Daisy]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Someone from Oakland calling San Francisco a crime ridden place is like an obese person calling an average sized person fat. It's quite hilarious lol.

Besides they are getting off topic, please stay on topic in regards to my original question.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by Sunny Daisy

Besides they are getting off topic, please stay on topic in regards to my original question.

The reality is your original post has no basis in reality and doesn't really make much sense. You asked why Oakland has such a high crime rate when it's so close to SF. The reality is SF also has very high crime areas as well, so your premise makes no sense. You have rose-colored glasses on with your viewpoint toward SF. SF is much more compact than Oakland and it's actually easier to end up in the ghetto in SF by mistake than it is in Oakland. While Oakland's overall crime rate is higher than SF's, I'd still consider SF's worst areas to be on par with many of Oakland's.

A more relevant comparison would be something like how is it that Oakland's crime rate is so high when it's so close to so many safe and upscale communities (Piedmont, Lafayette, Moraga, etc.). Not to mention, other cities in the same county and neighboring Contra Costa county have many high-income households and are among some of the safest and wealthier cities/towns in the Bay Area.

[luau]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

The reality is your original post has no basis in reality and doesn't really make much sense. You asked why Oakland has such a high crime rate when it's so close to SF. The reality is SF also has very high crime areas as well, so your premise makes no sense. You have rose-colored glasses on with your viewpoint toward SF. SF is much more compact than Oakland and it's actually easier to end up in the ghetto in SF by mistake than it is in Oakland. While Oakland's overall crime rate is higher than SF's, I'd still consider SF's worst areas to be on par with many of Oakland's.

A more relevant comparison would be something like how is it that Oakland's crime rate is so high when it's so close to so many safe and upscale communities (Piedmont, Lafayette, Moraga, etc.). Not to mention, other cities in the same county and neighboring Contra Costa county have many high-income households and are among some of the safest and wealthier cities/towns in the Bay Area.

Really?!

[Carlite]

Be calm everyone. High crime neighborhoods in American cities are places where people are poor and lives are disorganized, due to poverty, unemployment, family problems, drugs etc. Violence becomes its own self-perpetuating problem, when people you know are frequently getting shot it tends to make people somewhat crazy. Oakland has a lot of those neighborhoods in East Oakland and West Oakland. San Francisco has a few, notably Bayview/Hunters Point and Sunnydale.

Oakland has also been forced to reduce the size of its police force in recent years due to city fiscal problems.

So, not surprisingly Oakland has a higher crime rate. It's been pointed out that if somewhow Oakland could annex its neighbors (San Leandro, Berkeley etc.) then, poof "Oakland" would have a lower crime rate. But the reality in the impacted neighborhoods wouldn't change at all.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by luau

Really?!

Really, what? What did you not get about my post? San Francisco is not really a very safe city and has quite a few high crime areas and a huge homelessness/drug addict problem that it can't seem to get under control...hence why comparing "unsafe" Oakland to "safe" San Francisco makes no sense. SF is not exactly Mayberry. Roll your eyes online all you want...lame.

[mayorhaggar]

# of times someone was shot in front of my apartment building in SF: 1
# of times someone was shot in front of my apartment building in Oakland: 0

# of homeless people I'd see every day in my old neighborhoods in SF: uncountable
# of homeless people I'd see every day in my old neighborhood in Oakland: 2 at most, usually none

# of times I saw human feces in SF: uncountable
# of times I saw human feces in Oakland: 0

# of times I saw people smoking crack in public in SF: practically every day
# of times I saw people smoking crack in public in Oakland: 0

# of times I saw people dealing drugs openly in SF: every day
# of times I saw people dealing drugs openly in Oakland: 0

# of times I'd see winos lying around on the sidewalk guzzling malt liquor from dawn to dusk in SF: every day
# of times I'd see winos lying around on the sidewalk guzzling malt liquor from dawn to dusk in Oakland: 0

Basically I'm mainly comparing the Mission to Rockridge and the Temescal, though other stuff like poop and drugs I'd see (or not see) all over either city in rich or poor areas. Mission/Rockridge/Temescal are very different neighborhoods, but keep in mind I was making just about the same level of income while living in each city, and paying the same amount in rent to live in either. The Mission is a cool place to live but after a while seeing all that depravity wears you down, especially when you take stock of how much you're paying to live there.

[dragontales]

This is ridiculous. Both cities have crime problems but Oakland just have a lot more per capita. Homicide numbers don't lie.

[bmw335xi]

Will the Oakland cheerleaders please ignore threads you don't like instead of throwing them off topic? The op is asking why a city located next to an economic power house is so crime ridden. I think it has to do with lack of police, distrust of police and poor leadership which created a bad economy.

[Sunny Daisy]

Ok I asked about Oakland and mentioned SF and everybody has gone off on how horrible SF is and how not horrible Oakland is? I'm trying to have a reasonable discussion on why a San Francisco can be so close to Oakland yet Oakland be so much more violent. Why don't they work together to get idea's on how to lower Oaklands out of control crime rates?