Did I just rent in Oak Park? Newcomer to Sac (Sacramento: foreclosures, lease)

[paperpro]

I just rented a beautiful, affordable house on V Street at 34th St. I researched neighborhoods pretty well before I arrived and was assured that since I'm North of Broadway, I'm NOT in Oak Park and should be safe. However, a friend of mine who is up there for 2 months informed me that her cousin and 'others' told her that I have rented in a 'scary' neighborhood and other such ominous warnings...

I wanted to put in a doggie door through the back yard but now I'm a little nervous that this is a big security no-no.

I'm not a safety freak (I"m moving from Tucson from a somewhat sketchy neighborhood here where nothing has ever happened) but I certainly don't want anything to do with gangs, drugs, violence, etc. Any advice? I have a 6 month lease and can consider looking elsewhere after that, but the rent was affordable for the huge amount of space and a beautiful, well-kept home. Thanks!

[edwardius]

Here is the city of Sacramento's map of neighborhoods. You are on the border of the North Oak Park and the Med Center neighborhoods.

http://maps.cityofsacramento.org/pdf...20streetsE.pdf

For what its worth, there are worse parts of Oak Park. But you signed a lease in an urban neighborhood with its share of urban problems. Look at the crime mapper to see for yourself what you will be dealing with.

Online feature - Crimemapper - sacbee.com

If it were me, I would probably skip the doggie door idea and sign up for Krav Maga or get a gun. Hopefully no one will screw with you but in that neighborhood realistically it could happen.

Krav Maga Program (http://www.satoriacademy.com/Programs/KravMaga.htm - broken link)

[Mr. Ozo]

Yes, that is North Oak, and no, the crime isn't that bad there(compared to deeper in Oak park.) You don't really have to head into to Oak Park if you don't want to, you're actually close to East Sac down 34th street.

[wburg]

I lived two blocks from your house for five years, it wasn't so bad when I moved there in 2001 and it improved over the course of time I was there. It's the northern end of Oak Park, but many who live in the neighborhood tend to call it "Med Center" due to its proximity to the UC Davis Medical Center. It is by far the safest part of the neighborhood. Keep in mind that you live in the city, don't leave your door or windows unlocked, don't leave things on your porch you want to keep, and no, don't get a doggie door. A burglar alarm (and a sign advertising the fact) is probably a better investment than martial arts training or a gun--burglars prefer to come in when you're not home, so you won't be there to karate chop them and they won't be able to steal your gun, plus they find the sound of burglar alarms most unnerving.

Despite some folks' assurances that Oak Park is somewhere between Fallujah and Mogadishu in general safety level, it's a lot better than it used to be, and has recently become the neighborhood of choice for a lot of students and musicians seeking cheap rent and ungentrified charm. A lot of your neighbors are probably hipsters and hospital staff.

[paperpro]

Thanks for the input. i won't be learning any martial arts soon, thank you very much. Or buying a gun. I will use common sense and hopefully nothing will happen. In Tucson, there is a lot of paranoia about certain neighborhoods when in fact, the crime that actually exists is usually between the people involved--so as long as I'm not a drug runner or crack addict, I should be able to stay out of trouble except for a stolen chair or bicycle once in a while (that is Tucson, mind you, don't know about Sac).

I'm not paranoid, just new to the area. Minor property crime is not something that concerns me all that much; it's the violent crime against strangers that obviously would worry me. I'll reconsider the doggie door and thank you all for your advice. I'm feeling a little stupid for renting in a dodgy area after being warned, but I'll make the best of it and be safe. Thanks!!

[Jimbo15]

Have you talked to the landlord about trying to get out of the lease?

The detail that everyone is avoiding here is that there are still streetwalkers walking the stroll on Broadway. They do their business on the side streets. Most of these women have drug problems, so you find the needles lying around. That in turn draws the drug dealers to the neighborhood as well at the gangs that try to extort money from this situation. That creates a certain amount of unavoidable random violence.

I respect that you don't want to live in a neighborhood where you need to take a self defense class or need to own a gun.

So why not talk to the landlord about breaking the lease?

[mattinsac]

I would say Oak Park, Meadowview and Del Paso Heights are the three worst neighborhoods in the region.

Read for youself what type of neighborhood you are getting yourself involved in. You said you don't want to have anything to do with drugs, gangs or random violence. Read for yourself why people are telling this is a neighborhood where you might actually be dealing with these issues.

SN&R > Local Stories > Washington’s farewell address > 09.14.06
SN&R > Local Stories > Gang silence > 09.07.06
Professor faces danger, cleans up Oak Park to win community service award - News (http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2008/12/10/News/Professor.Faces.Danger.Cleans.Up.Oak.Park.To.Win.C ommunity.Service.Award-3575770.shtml - broken link)
Three convictions in firebombing of professor's home - News (http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2007/02/28/News/Three.Convictions.In.Firebombing.Of.Professors.Hom e-2749681.shtml - broken link)
Map - Crime, alcohol stores often go hand-in-hand

[paperpro]

Thanks to all of you for answering. I find this whole discussion interesting because it reflects what a lot of urban areas are going through, including Tucson. Like, at what point do some people start merging into the fringes of dodgy yet historically rich areas and begin the process of gentrification and/or social activism? I have heard of this woman who got fire-bombed in Oak Park and wonder, was she foolish? Or an idealist? Or is she doing something brave that will ultimately re-shape the community of Oak Park? It seems that the area has improved because of some people who are less afraid to take the risk of living there. Or maybe I'm wrong and they're just stupid?

I think I'll stick it out for 6 months and see how it goes. On the positive side, the woman who owns the house lived there for 12 years (with a large dog) and said that nothing ever happened and she minded her own business. I think that anyone's impressions of neighborhoods depends on where each of us come from. I'm not a suburb type of person and have been held up at knife-point in Brazil, had my passport stolen in Honduras in a restaurant, and was followed out of a bank in Costa Rica. I've had my fair share of sketchy experiences in urban places and as I get older, I'm less interested in being a part of this but also less paranoid. My very large and scary-looking 80 pound dog will be accompanying me and he's darn intimidating!

And as an aside, when I moved into my house in Tucson, a story on the front page of our local newspaper emerged the DAY after I finalized my offer about how my neighborhood was 2 blocks from meth central, where property crime and sex offenders were rampant. I almost cried! But after 3 years of being there, absolutely nothing happened, I got to know my neighbors, and I got to be savvy about locking all my doors and gates and just not being stupid. It all worked out in the end. Wish me luck with my move to Sac!

[wburg]

People started merging into the fringes of Oak Park in particular to begin the process of gentrification and social activism a couple of years ago.
It sounds like you used to live in a neighborhood that was very much like Oak Park, you shouldn't have many surprises.

If you are interested in getting involved in the local community activism, I know some of the folks on the board, they're good people. Here are some links to neighborhood groups and social/cultural things in Oak Park.

Oak Park Neighborhood Association -

40 Acres Art Gallery (http://www.40acresartgallery.org/index2.php - broken link)

underground books

brickhouseartgallery.com

McGeorge School of Law

Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen

Movies on a Big Screen Sacramento

OakParkNow (http://oakparknow.blogspot.com/ - broken link)

http://midtowngrid.com/
(note: While this site is technically about the Midtown grid, its owner Bryan Fischer is an Oak Park resident and neighborhood activist.)

[edwardius]

There was a time in my life where things were really tight. I bought an old home in a crappy part of the San Fernando Valley in an area between Pacoima and Sun Valley that I was trying to fix up. The issue for me wasn't the burglaries, but the robberies. If someone breaks in and steals your tv or your bike when you aren't home, that is annoying, but you can replace material goods. The problem is when the crime is actually directed to you personally.

I don't know what your previous experiences were like in Tuscon, but I lived in a place where someone has pointed a gun at me in my own home, while they took my stuff. It was scary because you don't know how that other person is going to react in that situation. You hope they won't shoot you, but you really just don't know what they are going to do. You don't know if this person is on drugs. You don't know if they are going to go after you to eliminate a potential witness. Even after you have called the police report with the cops you don't know if this person is going to come back and do it all over again. If they had shot me, what would have happened? Would I be a quadriplegic or worse?

After that happens you realise just how vulnerable you are. The problem isn't just at home, but when you are walking from the bus stop to your home or walking from your car to your front door. While crime could happen in any neighborhood, there are certain neighborhoods where its much more likely to happen than in others. Oak Park is one of these high crime neighborhoods. People don't put bars on their windows to improve the aesthetics of the place but because they are trying to make sure that stuff won't happen to themselves at night when they are asleep.

Every community has places where the people with no other options end up. If you have problems with addiction and hit rock bottom, you end up in these communities. When people get released from jail, they need to live somewhere. They end up in these type of communities. Yet a lot of people don't want to hire ex-cons. If you are female and don't have better options, you might resort prostitution. If you are male and don't have better options, you might have little to lose from stealing from other people. In Sacramento Oak Park is one of these communities.

Yet because these people don't have good mobility options, a lot of the crime they commit is against the people in their own neighborhood. For your sake, while you are living in Oak Park, I hope you don't have any problems. I am sure 90% of the people are people just down on their luck and probably won't cause problems for you. But the problem is the other 10% who are deperate and feel like they have little to lose.

Oak Park was one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by foreclosures. When you have empty houses, desperate people and when the state is planning on increasing the number of parolees and elimating welfare in California as budget cutting manuevers. You have a formula for things getting much worse in Oak Park.