Oakland falls from 2nd to 9th in rankings of 'Most Dangerous Cities' (Richmond: crime rate, unemployment)

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Yup. The whole Bay Area is one big dystopian nightmare. Better stay away.

you nailed it! be afraid...be very afraid

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Yup. It sounds like an advertisement for gentrification. On a positive note, I read recently that some tech companies, like Google, are setting up a project in Oakland to support tech startups in the African-American community. That's been a long time comin'. More jobs, and more incentives for kids to pursue higher education = less crime over time.

As usual, instead of finding was to encourage investment in the existing community, we prefer to push the problem elsewhere.

Tech companies love to talk about solving the "pipeline" problem instead of the retention and access to funding and networks problem.

[PixelatedTherapy]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Chris Magnus? He was awesome, he left to go to Tucson- they're lucky to get him.

Wait, he's not the police chief anymore? Damn!

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by jade408

As usual, instead of finding was to encourage investment in the existing community, we prefer to push the problem elsewhere.

Tech companies love to talk about solving the "pipeline" problem instead of the retention and access to funding and networks problem.

yep, I agree...I have wondered for a long time why businesses can't set up micro-lending in poor communities, but let the community decide how to invest the money and manage the repayment of it. Also, if local schools aren't working for the kids, how about google and ebay loaning a few of their commuter buses to transport kids to better schools in other parts of the City. School choice means nothing if you don't have the means to drive your kid across town.

[sonarrat]

The amazing thing is that Oakland has these kinds of numbers, even though a very large percentage of the city is wealthy, healthy and quite safe. Richmond doesn't have the upper-crust neighborhoods and it is still consistently safer than Oakland overall.


It just speaks to how bad, how lawless and out of control the worst parts of Oakland are. They don't look great during the day, but at night they come to life with gunfire, crime, showboating, pimping, etc. It's not only the residents, either. Hoodlums come from all over to make life miserable there.

[CBB_bear]

"Richmond doesn't have the upper-crust neighborhoods and it is still consistently safer than Oakland overall."

Really? The Richmond annex and some of the hilly neighborhoods near wildcat canyon/along the El Cerrito border are pretty indistinguishable from El Cerrito. And some of those neighborhoods in the hills are pretty nice--more similar to the wealthier parts of El Cerrito than the more modest parts. Point Richmond has some very high end properties. If you look at a crime map, it is pretty much just the central part of Richmond that has high crime.

They is less wealth than the wealthiest parts of Oakland, but there are definitely "upper crust" areas of Richmond.

[BayFleur]

The Google thing being in an African American neighborhood is nonsense. Fruitvale is almost all Latino and has been for nearly 30 years. IDK why Google advertised it as such. I know. I was raised over there. Lived there 25 years.

Come to think of it upper Fruitvale @ MacArthur, the Dimond District, has already been gentrified for about a decade or so.

Anyway, yeah. It's all gentrification. Nothing to do with the great police work. Smh.

[tanglenet]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

The most annoying part about creating this thread is that undoubtedly, some people are going to assume that somehow I am happy with 1,442 violent crimes per 100,000 people and that Im actually gloating about it

No, the crime rate is still deplorable but we are seeing a sustained downward trend that continues to extend into 2016 so far...we are 20 murders less than a year ago at this time( 53 vs 72) and violent crimes are in decline year-to-date.

NO, NO ONE IS CELEBRATING THESE NUMBERS AND YES WE ARE COGNIZANT THAT THEY ARE INEXCUSABLY HIGH-so put a sock in it haters.

Oakland violent crime rate:
2013: 1,977 per 100,000 residents(2nd highest in the U.S.)
2015: 1,442 per 100,000 residents(9th highest in the U.S.)
Down 27%

2015 ranking
The Most Dangerous Cities in America - 24/7 Wall St.

2013 ranking
The 10 most dangerous cities in America - MarketWatch

There is a long list of things that need severe improvement, and the police department itself is in need of serious reform, and the communities are still not stepping up their efforts enough to take control of their neighborhoods, etc.

But at least, we are seeing a decline in the crime rate.

(Thank You Lord)

Thanks for posting.

[WizardOfRadical]

Originally Posted by BayFleur

The Google thing being in an African American neighborhood is nonsense. Fruitvale is almost all Latino and has been for nearly 30 years. IDK why Google advertised it as such. I know. I was raised over there. Lived there 25 years.

Come to think of it upper Fruitvale @ MacArthur, the Dimond District, has already been gentrified for about a decade or so.

Anyway, yeah. It's all gentrification. Nothing to do with the great police work. Smh.

Exactly, Oakland's crime rate is dropping because blacks and to a lesser extent latinos are being pushed out. Crime drop is good, but there is also a huge loss of the soul and funk that made it edgy. Eventually the critical mass of over-caffinated tech bros and yuppies steriliize the scene.

There was a brief moment of transition in like 2008 when everyone could fit in Oakland, but on a whole it went from feast to famine very quickly. Too many Burning Man types there now.

[the happy guy]

I would rather not measure Oakland's reduction in violent crime with something as misleading, erroneous, and irresponsible as the "Most Dangerous Cities."

Violent crime is falling in Oakland due to a stronger economy (more jobs, lower unemployment, higher tourism), demographic shifts (primarily income), increase in police staffing levels, and programs like Operation Ceasefire.