Oakland Considering Filing Bankruptcy (living, law, mall)

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

Yea im sure the crack dealer, pimp, and the hooker all have stories about how OPD ruined their lives. Im sure the guy who killed 4 opd officers has a family dying to tell us all what a blight OPD has been on their lives.

the rest of us tax paying, job holding, citizens who obey the law, we support OPD... coast to coast... even though their fight is a loosing battle. Oakland=richmond with a port, and two stadiums.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by LakeShoreSoxGo

Yea im sure the crack dealer, pimp, and the hooker all have stories about how OPD ruined their lives.

Just because you pray to the police doesnt mean that everyone else has to share your blind acceptance of anything and everything they do.

Your experience is different from that of others. Why is that so hard to understand?

Im sure the guy who killed 4 opd officers has a family dying to tell us all what a blight OPD has been on their lives.

Yes, the killing of cops is a daily occurence in Oakland.

the rest of us tax paying, job holding, citizens who obey the law, we support OPD.

The vast majority of Oakland is made up of tax paying, job holding citizens.

Oakland=richmond with a port, and two stadiums.

Once again, senseless dribble.

[18Montclair]

And since you didnt respond the last time, I'll post it again...
Who needs boring? Certainly not me.

I enjoy walking up and down International in the Fruitvale district looking at all the stores-the fact that I speak spanish helps too. I highly recommed trying the food at Taqueria Sinaloa. Best Burrito Truck ever. I also recommend a store called National for knick-knacks for around your house. Its on International near 37th. I recently bought these 2 huge wooden carved vases that look expensive but only costed $30.

I like having the eritrean restaurants along Telegraph nearby-the kitfo at Addis Ababba is enchanting. That neighborhood is cool to walk around too.

I like shopping at the ethnic groceries across Oakland(I own several of them), stores that represent virtually every culture under the sun. I like the concentration of asian businesses in Chinatown and New Chinatown.

I really, really like being able to check out the art at the monthly get together held in Uptown. Its awesome and one gets a sense of the strong community being forged there. The art scene in Oakland is getting pretty big.

I also like taking relatives that visit to Durant Square, a place deep in East Oakland that is like an indoor swap meet. Its cool to stroll around there too.

Lastly, I like the sort of people who live in Oakland. The diversity. Rich, poor, black, white, yellow, brown etc. I like the politics of the residents, I like the crowded, densely populated neighborhoods.

I like that we have a great public transit system and that people actually use it.

We have our problems, but make no mistake-I love living here and can think of very few places that would move me away. None of those places is a suburb.

Not all people like living in tract homes that look like all the neighbors. Not everyone likes to drive from one strip mall to another shopping at box stores and eat at drive thrus all day. Not everyone wants to compete with their neighbors over who drives the nicer car or who has the better manicured lawn. And not everyone is enamored by being surrounded by one race or one socio-economic class. And not everyone wants to spend an hour driving to and from work everyday. That isnt living, its death as far as Im concerned.

[18Montclair]

Oakland is changing but not for the worse. Don't get me wrong, crime is a very serious issue, but that hasnt stopped the development and growth of many areas of town.

This is a review from today's NY Times about Cafe Van Kleef. The local art scene is really getting noticed and they are affecting Oakland as a result. As evidenced by baydude's response, the changes occurring in Uptown and elsewhere arent going to attract people who are not interested-but these areas are attracting its target audiences.

Oakland Eclectic | Cafe Van Kleef - The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com

[BayDude]

Just because you pray to the police doesnt mean that everyone else has to share your blind acceptance of anything and everything they do.

Your experience is different from that of others. Why is that so hard to understand?

Its hard for us to understand how you can be so anti-police (and presumably pro-criminal).

Yes, the killing of cops is a daily occurence in Oakland.

Its not. Nor did anyone say or imply it is.

The vast majority of Oakland is made up of tax paying, job holding citizens.

No disagreement there.

Once again, senseless dribble.

Oakland actually beats richmond in the rankings. Not so "senseless" after all.

1) New Orleans, La. – 57 0r 64 per 100,000 people

2) St. Louis, Mo. – 47 per 100,000 people

3) Baltimore, Md. – 37 per 100,000 people

4) Birmingham, Ala. – 36 per 100,000 people

5) Jackson, Miss. – 36 per 100,000 people

6) Detroit, Mich. – 34 per 100,000 people

7) Baton Rouge, La. – 30 per 100,000 people

8) Oakland, Calif. – 29 per 100,000 people

9) Flint, Mich. – 28 per 100,000 people

10) Richmond, Calif. – 27 per 100,000 people

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

Oh it is easy to understand why he is anti police. He has had run ins with the law. I've never met some one who was anti police, who didn't have a "colorful past".

Thanks for posting those stats bay dude, like I said, oakland is richmond, with a wee bit of viable commerce.

[Puddy4LyF]

I think part of what Montclair means is that Oakland and Richmond may look similar in a statistical ranking, but that they don't resemble each other in much else. Oakland's crime is concentrated in really, two large areas of land but it also contains 10+ neighborhoods that are really, really nice. On the other hand, Richmond is a city which really only has 2.5 places that you can go to escape its hopelessness -- that being Marina Bay, Point Richmond (and I included Hilltop as .5 because it's pretty iffy). I would much, much, much rather live in Oakland than in Richmond.

[BayDude]

Originally Posted by LakeShoreSoxGo

Oh it is easy to understand why he is anti police. He has had run ins with the law. I've never met some one who was anti police, who didn't have a "colorful past".

Thanks for posting those stats bay dude, like I said, oakland is richmond, with a wee bit of viable commerce.

LOL Oakland beats Richmond. Richmond can't compete . When you have two bay area cities fighting for the top rankings in "most murderous" list, you know its bad.

[Ultrarunner]

Oakland is a convenient scape goat for surrounding communities... I hear it all the time.

Today, I heard the problem with Hayward and San Lorenzo schools is too many people from Oakland

No matter what the problem... sooner or later Oakland will come up.

One of my first jobs was working in a store where one of the regular customers had a cat with kittens... what did she do... she took the kittens to Oakland and let them go

Caught a guy from San Leandro dumping trash at a vacant house off 85th avenue... too cheap to go to the Davis Street transfer station. He told the police officer that he didn't think it would be a problem because there was already trash in the back yard

The fact is without Oakland, where would the county and Fed release Ex-Cons...

Right now the county wants to open a rehab/treatment center in San Leandro and the residents are up in arms and some have said Oakland would be a more suitable location... or how about San Leandro Hospital complaining about 50% utilization of hospital beds not being enough to keep the doors open and then saying too many people that should be using Highland Hospital in Oakland come to San Leandro...

Oakland has lots of problems and many are because it has become a regional dumping ground for other communities and this is partially to blame for the high cost of running this city...

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

The only socio economic difference between the two is that the hills near richmond are actually incorporated into their own city (el cerrito) where as the hills in Oakland are part of oakland. That and a few yuppies and hipster urban pioneers concentrated around that filthy lake.