Safety of Oakland (esp. Lake Merritt area)? (Montclair, Piedmont: middle-class, violent crime)

[jade408]

Typically crime in that area of Lake Merritt happens later in the evening or at night.... so based on the OP's original question, they are extraordinarily unlikely to experience the incidents. The odds go up the later it gets.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

You know, it doesn't matter where you live - in even the worst cities in America, a vast majority of the people who live there are never mugged, raped, or killed. And just because significant majority of a city's population never encounters these crimes does not necessarily mean they are safe. The question is one of likelihood. The statistics in Oakland speak for themselves, and I don't care how many residents post their anecdotal evidence to the contrary - they are merely part of the large majority who are not affected by crime. There are people who walk around every single awful place in America every day who go completely unharmed. That doesn't make those places safe. Lake Merritt has some beauty and also has a crime problem. You can tell yourself (and others, apparently) that it is safe, but that doesn't make it so. It's a disservice to others to substitute anecdotal evidence for reality, as if your own personal experience tells the whole story.

Using your logic, no where is safe. Back where I grew up, a neighbor moved to a small town where crime in practically non existent, and was murdered by her roommate after she inherited a very small amount of money -- so that area is now unsafe.

The thing is -- every where is both safe and unsafe. If you are doing stupid things with rotten people, you do not live in a safe area, no matter where you live. And every single place has rotten people.

And chances are really good if you keep to yourself and don't cause trouble, you can live in a bad neighborhood and live quite safely.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Using your logic, no where is safe. Back where I grew up, a neighbor moved to a small town where crime in practically non existent, and was murdered by her roommate after she inherited a very small amount of money -- so that area is now unsafe.

Not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that some areas are unsafe, and the insistence of others that they've been safe in them doesn't make them safe.

[04kL4nD]

The bottom line is that the area is relatively safe.

Should you keep an eye on your surroundings and use common sense? Should you avoid running there, alone, late at night?

If you really need to contemplate either of those questions, then you should probably stay home, bar up your windows, and never leave the house.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

Not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that some areas are unsafe, and the insistence of others that they've been safe in them doesn't make them safe.

That is exactly what you are saying. You are saying no where is safe. You are saying that anywhere there is crime people are not safe and everywhere has crime of some sort.

[Mr. Fantastic]

He's not saying "no where" is safe. He's saying some places are MORE unsafe than others. Oakland is MUCH MORE unsafe than your average city (it's the MOST unsafe according to stats).

[Mr. Fantastic]

Originally Posted by Joe_Ryder

An appeal to ignorance, or Argumentum ad Ignorantiam, is a logical fallacy.

Is that a self realization about your own state of existence, or have you looked at Oakland's crime stats and decided that you'll ignore them too?

[SickOfCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

He's not saying "no where" is safe. He's saying some places are MORE unsafe than others. Oakland is MUCH MORE unsafe than your average city (it's the MOST unsafe according to stats).

Thanks for the help in clarification. Some people just don't want to hear it.

[Mr. Fantastic]

That's the weird part about this forum. I often wonder if people are just used to being obtuse to avoid the pain of the truth.

One time I flat out asked a poster (18montclair) what she thought about Oakland being ranked 76 out 100 in the Bay Area for attracting private investor money in a thread about.... Oakland BizDev!

The response was "Oakland has schools with 900 API scores! It's cultured and everyone wants to move here. You're just jealous of Oakland."

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

He's not saying "no where" is safe. He's saying some places are MORE unsafe than others. Oakland is MUCH MORE unsafe than your average city (it's the MOST unsafe according to stats).

It's the MOST unsafe according to stats?

What stats are you referring to? I know that generally speaking, you're averse to letting us know where you get your unique set of rankings from, but could you please, at least just this once let us know?

Have you ever been to Detroit or New Orleans, by chance?

Anyways:

The MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN AMERICA List Came Out Today … Do You Live In ONE OF THEM????? - MediaTakeOut.com™ 2010

April 13, 2009. MediaTakeOut.com got it’s hands on the list of 2009’s most deadly cities – courtesy of the new book - City Crime Rankings 2008-2009 by Kathleen O'Leary Morgan, Scott Morgan, and Dr. Rachel Boba.

Without futher ado …

1 New Orleans, LA
2 Camden, NJ
3 Detroit, MI
4 St. Louis, MO
5 Oakland, CA
6 Flint, MI
7 Gary, IN
8 Birmingham, AL
9 Richmond, CA
10 North Charleston, SC
11 Cleveland, OH
12 Baltimore, MD
13 Miami Gardens, FL
14 Memphis, TN
15 Youngstown, OH
16 Atlanta, GA
17 Compton, CA
18 Orlando, FL
19 Little Rock, AR
20 Minneapolis, MN
21 Washington, DC
22 Philadelphia, PA
23 Jackson, MS
24 Newark, NJ
25 Milwaukee, WI