Oakland is a dangerous place?? (Los Angeles, San Jose: violent crime, school district, to live)

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

Notice I don't have to defend Mission Viejo?

Translation: I have no comeback so I'm going to talk about automobiles.

[goldenchild08]

Ok I am really confused here.

San Francisco comes off as this educated, progressive, clean, artsy european type city. Lots of money and lots of professionals it seems.

However.....right across the bay is Oakland. Oakland is ranked one of the most dangerous cities in the USA. Some people refer to it as a ghetto.

How is this possible!?!? It's suppost to be extremely expensive. Why in the world would anyone pay such a high price to live in a 'dangerous ghetto'???

I don't understand how Oakland can be as bad as people make it out to be

San Francisco is no different from Manhattan or DC. The city of San Francisco is a cultural and financial hub for a large region or the country just like Manhattan or DC. Because of this, large sections of the city are wealthy and filled with educated and cultured people from all over the world. I never understood why there is so much perceived provincialism of the Bay Area from non-residents perspectives. The Bay Area has a much more unified identity than many other metro areas and cities that are close together. You don't hear anyone ignorantly saying "there are no thugs in Manhattan, but there are are thugs in Brooklyn" remarks about NYC. Has every single American visited the projects in Harlem and witnessed numerous murders and robberies? No. The media told you that Harlem was rough. The media also told you that DC was a murder zone. The national media makes it a point not to advertise the dark side of San Francisco because SF's economy is solely based on tourism. This is the reason why you always hear outsiders saying ignorant things like "there are no ghettos in San Francisco, but ALL of Oakland is a ghetto". I think it is because rough places like Hunter's Point, Sunnydale, Portero Hill and Lakeview in SF are not a part of the national consciousness the way that the ugly parts of Southeast DC, Harlem and East Oakland have been ingrained into every American's head. Not to mention the grimey non-touristy areas of SF are remote, off the beaten path and literally on the other side of the tracks where out-of-towners and tourists rarely tread.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by cvanripe10

Ok I am really confused here.

San Francisco comes off as this educated, progressive, clean, artsy european type city. Lots of money and lots of professionals it seems.

However.....right across the bay is Oakland. Oakland is ranked one of the most dangerous cities in the USA. Some people refer to it as a ghetto.

How is this possible!?!? It's suppost to be extremely expensive. Why in the world would anyone pay such a high price to live in a 'dangerous ghetto'???

I don't understand how Oakland can be as bad as people make it out to be

You can't have haves with out having have nots. The biggest concern should be what happened to those in the middle.
The have a littles.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by goldenchild08

"I think it is because rough places like Hunter's Point, Sunnydale, Portero Hill and Lakeview in SF are not a part of the national consciousness the way that the ugly parts of Southeast DC, Harlem and East Oakland have been ingrained into every American's head. Not to mention the grimey non-touristy areas of SF are remote, off the beaten path and literally on the other side of the tracks where out-of-towners and tourists rarely tread" .

i have to disagree with this most homicides in sf in the last 4-5 years have taken place an almost contiguous area that encompasses the tenderloin, soma, western addition and the mission.


the tenderloin, western addition and mission are pretty violent places next to some very nice areas nob hill ,hayes valley and noe valley but it's almost like because they are close to these nice areas people ignore the gangbangers and and excons a few blocks away.

Western Addition top S.F. murder spot in 2007 | Joshua Sabatini | Local | San Francisco Examiner

SF Mayor Frustrated By Mission District Violence - KTVU News Story - KTVU San Francisco

[The Nostalgia Critic]

Oakland is the westcoast version of Newark, New Jersey when it comes to being a ghetto city that is in close proximity to a world class city.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by The Nostalgia Critic

Oakland is the westcoast version of Newark, New Jersey when it comes to being a ghetto city that is in close proximity to a world class city.

Sure you don't mean Stockton?

[Gailr42]

I grew up in Berkeley, but spent plenty of time in Oakland - Capwell's, Kahn's, I and J Magin (not so much the last two). You are probably old like me if you remember these places.

I am doing genealogy and it turns out my entire family lived in what was known as the Fruitvale neighborhood in about 1910. Family members are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery on Camden. My husband and I would like to take a drive around the area and see if any of the original homes are still standing and visit the cemetery. I can remember my dad's talking about E 14th St and Fruitvale Avenue. Is there any reason that we shouldn't do this as long as we are good citizens and don't go asking for trouble?

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Gailr42

I grew up in Berkeley, but spent plenty of time in Oakland - Capwell's, Kahn's, I and J Magin (not so much the last two). You are probably old like me if you remember these places.

I am doing genealogy and it turns out my entire family lived in what was known as the Fruitvale neighborhood in about 1910. Family members are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery on Camden. My husband and I would like to take a drive around the area and see if any of the original homes are still standing and visit the cemetery. I can remember my dad's talking about E 14th St and Fruitvale Avenue. Is there any reason that we shouldn't do this as long as we are good citizens and don't go asking for trouble?

I would not visit the Evergreen Cemetery area or Fruitvale & International at night, but other than that there's no reason you shouldn't visit.

Just be aware that E 14th is now called International Blvd.

[IonaTrailer]

I used to live in Oakland, before it got so bad, now I live in Los Angeles. The city has hired the former Los Angeles police chief, William Bratton. Now, I'm normally not a big fan of the police, but I have to say he made a real difference in making LA safer. I'm hoping he'll be able to do the same for Oakland, BUT what will make a real difference is for the city to HIRE MORE POLICE. It's insane to think that around 40 police units at any given time can effectively deal with a city of over 600,000. Having a safer environment will allow the community to grow. New businesses will open, there will be more jobs, and the city will have more revenue. It's time to stop the downward spiral. I however, intend to take advantage of the super low house prices, and buy some real estate!

[jade408]

Originally Posted by IonaTrailer

I used to live in Oakland, before it got so bad, now I live in Los Angeles. The city has hired the former Los Angeles police chief, William Bratton. Now, I'm normally not a big fan of the police, but I have to say he made a real difference in making LA safer. I'm hoping he'll be able to do the same for Oakland, BUT what will make a real difference is for the city to HIRE MORE POLICE. It's insane to think that around 40 police units at any given time can effectively deal with a city of over 600,000. Having a safer environment will allow the community to grow. New businesses will open, there will be more jobs, and the city will have more revenue. It's time to stop the downward spiral. I however, intend to take advantage of the super low house prices, and buy some real estate!

Batts is no longer here. He wasn't given authority to make the decisions he wanted so he resigned.

OPD is severely understaffed.

But your experience varies greatly from a crime free existence to lots of crime depending on where you live.