Before diving in, we want to note that Oaklands crime data is messy messier than San Franciscos comparable dataset, which we have also explored in depth. Less than a decade later, one of Oaklands officers shot and killed community member, Jose Barlow Benavidez. Most disturbingly, however, Oakland is experiencing an over 300 percent increase in murders thus far in 2021. While there were more reported crimes for all four violent offenses (homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault), about three-fourths of the overall increase in violent crime stems from aggravated assaults, the most common violent offense. [32], The Chauncey Bailey Project wrote in 2008 that detective caseload for OPD was more than any other major city in California, except Fresno,[33] and that, in that year, the Police Department had the lowest homicide clearance rate among California's large cities because the department is understaffed and the detective work in certain instances is not as thorough because there are simply not enough officers.[34]. Prior to its publication, the Oakland Police Department published only 90 days worth of crime incident data at a time. It feels like a breaking point for many people, said Wong. Also, we do not yet have data on other cities or rural areas across the state for 2021. Although Oakland has seen a particularly steep increase, it is not unusual for major cities to be experiencing a 50 to 100 percent rise in homicides. And most of the police beat areas representing the citys northern half didnt have enough assaults to reasonably compare 2019 and 2021 rates. Residential burglaries also decreased during the pandemic, a trend that Holmgren also attributed to people staying at home. Although MACRO is still fairly new, residents frustrated with Oaklands Police Department are witnessing real change. Note: Because the rates of crime are so low in America, we use "per 100,000 people" to make the number a bit easier to compare across locations visually. Sakhone Lasaphangthong works at Family Bridges in Chinatown as director of housing services, working with unhoused residents by providing meals and helping people apply for IDs and access healthcare and other resources. July 2013 - Alaysha Carradine, age 8, was killed by Darnell Williams Jr., who was given the death penalty in 2016. crime All Contents Public Policy Institute of California 2023, Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts, Achieving Universal Broadband in California, property crime in California reached the lowest level since 1960. Less than a decade later, one of Oaklands officers shot and killed community member, Jose Barlow Benavidez. Having grown up in Oakland, Masouredis was unsurprised by the citys activism. [8], Robbery rates in Oakland declined by 60% in the seven years between 1993 and 2000, but thereafter increased, more than doubling between 2000 and 2012. The recent physical assaults caught on camera have drawn international attention and response. The department would be required to undergo a one year sustainability period to prove that the reforms can last without the intervention of outside authorities. Nonetheless, many residents are concerned with lifting the oversight too soon., Besides the last five tasks left for the OPD to tackle in order to be in complete compliance, one issue still remains. In November 2019, Muslim threw a chair at an Uptown bakery employee, cutting the mans face open. [22], Total crime in Oakland dropped by 41% from 1987 to 2012, but the city has consistently been among the highest-crime cities in California; in 2012, Oakland had the highest total crime rate of any California city with 20,000 or more people, with 8,587 total crimes per 100,000 residents, compared to a statewide average of 3,182 total crimes per 100,000 people. Their job is to protect and serve. These, include: completing internal affairs investigations within a required time frame, internal affairs complaint procedures, use of force investigations, tracking who OPD officers stop and why and consistency of discipline against OPD members. If lifted, however, the federal oversight would not stop immediately. How much can we take before we break? Big weather shift headed to California. They have long-term health impacts that take a long time to recover from. Comparing January-Oct. 2020 to the same period in 2021, violent crimes increased by 5%, ranging from close to 17% in Oakland to about 1% in Los Angeles In the [18] A 2012 article in the East Bay Times attributed the low clearance rate in part due to understaffing of the police department and in part to the management dysfunction at the police department, and stated that "In a city where police officers consume more than 40 percent of the municipal budget, are among the city's highest-paid employees, and have exerted an outsized influence on Oakland politics, the department's ability to perform its core missions solve violent crime, catch criminals, and keep the public safe is highly questionable. Virtual Event, April 13, 2023 Last June, Oakland quietly began publishing detailed, long-term data on crime incidents on its city website. Oakland, California is experiencing its deadliest year in decades as the city faces an unprecedented rise in violent crimes, local Kron4 reports. We show up for people in crisis and when people are feeling pain. After sending out a mass email to the entire department, the Instagram account posted an image with the attached caption that referred to the department-wide email about us. The investigation is ongoing.. Are we really seeing a unique uptick in crime there, unlike years past, and divorced from whats happening elsewhere and to other communities in Oakland? [3] Crime continued to escalate during the 1980s and 1990s,[4] and during the first decade of the 21st century Oakland has consistently been listed as one of the most dangerous large cities in the United States. Crime, race, safety: what's really happening in Oakland Chinatown? The department has been monitored by a federal judge for more than 18 years now. Last June, Oakland quietly began publishing detailed, long-term data on crime incidents on its city website. In total, Muslim has been charged at least 10 times with assault, and has never been charged with a hate crime. Also, because this data reflects police reports, it captures only crimes reported to, or observed by, police officers, meaning its likely many crimes in the city are left out. We dont know what is inside the purse, but just because we want that purse. Crime rates have surged in major cities across the United States since mid-2020. WebOakland crime rates are 175% higher than the national average. The DAs office told us theyre reviewing his case. PPIC does not share, trade, sell, or otherwise disclose personal information. While researchers are not entirely sure why, he said one likely factor is that used car values exploded during the pandemic, increasing the incentive to steal them. It includes where the incident took place, the incidents crime category (there are 50 categories, far more than the eight counted by the FBI) and a more detailed description of the incident. [27] By including gunshot detection and license plate readers the DAC would allow police to faster investigate suspects (which does not exactly equal the alleged shift from "reactive to proactive" crime treatment). After that, violent crime increased from about 8,0008,500 per month to around 9,50010,000, where it has stayed since July 2021. Josh Stratton, the external He states, I am super supportive of the idea of MACRO, and its aim to mitigate potential police violence by removing them from areas that they dont, However, noticing a substantial increase in crime rates from last year, Oaklands Police Officers Association, attacked the citys limited, unconventional response, arguing that more officers are needed to combat the rising violence and , . In response to the Oakland City Councils previous rejection of a fifth police academy, Donelan stated, how about this strategy: support your hardworking police officers and act against violence. Some residents of Oakland have sided with Oaklands Police Department (OPD) and Police Association, similarly arguing for more police officers on the streets.. Homicides in Oakland, California have surged 400% citywide in 2021, according to the latest crime analysis data shared by the city's police department. Ten Years Post-Reform, How Are Californias Congressional Maps Still Unfair? Oaklandwith a population roughly half of San Franciscossaw 134 homicides in 2021 compared to 102 in 2020 and 74 in 2019, according to the citys crime reports. People from a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds have participated in these events. After the footage went viral and international, actors Kim and Wu teamed up to offer a $25,000 reward for what they have repeatedly described as an example of rising hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans. Enough with these narratives that are not serving us that continue to divide us. And in the first Households with annual income from $28,000 to $69,000 would pay $30 a month. jumped more than sixfold in 2021, police say. With a relatively large Asian population, the rise in crime in Oakland in particular may be related to a surge in hate crimes against Asians across the country. Using the FBI data, the violent crime rate fell 49% between 1993 and 2019, with large decreases in the rates of robbery (-68%), murder/non-negligent manslaughter (-47%) and aggravated assault (-43%). August 2022 - A triple homicide occurred in Martin Luther King Jr. Way in West Oakland. District officials have proposed about a 22% increase to the salary schedule starting next year, with a one-time $3,000 in back pay, putting Oakland teachers above average in pay across the region. Crime rates have surged in major cities across the United States since mid-2020. rates Is Oakland Safe? [2022 Crime Rates And Crime Stats] Having that amount of weapons on the streets that is a serious contribution to why we saw an increase in violent crime, Holmgren told The Chronicle. In 2016, he randomly punched the back of a strangers head with a closed fist while walking down a street in Livermore. Sign up for The Oaklandsides free daily newsletter. This story was updated April 9, 2021 to clarify that the 91-year-old man attacked in Oakland Chinatown, in an incident that was recorded in a video that later wentviral, was not Asian. UC Berkeley's only nonpartisan political magazine, On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, Oaklands city council approved the implementation of a fifth police academy. But its unlikely that reporting rates change significantly from year to year, he said, so looking at trends over time is a generally more reliable way to track property crime than looking at the raw numbers. The surge includes a 150 percent increase in carjackings and a 115 percent increase in firearm-related assaults. That also means people have to keep coming to Chinatown and feeling like its okay to be in the neighborhood after dark.. The program, as an alternative to policing, operates seven days a week, with three teams that each include an EMT and a case intervention specialist. In its conception, MACRO was tested in communities that were deemed most vulnerable and underserved. Sad milestones in Oakland as deadly violence explodes in 2020, 2018 Review: Oakland murders dip to lowest level since 1999; major crimes fall regionally, Oakland sees biggest drop in homicides since 2004, Oakland killings down in 2014 but still way too many, Oakland: Rash of homicides in late 2016 push year's toll to 85, Oakland Leaders Attribute Drop in Homicides and Shootings to Ceasefire Program, "With gun violence on the rise, Oakland ends the year with 134 homicides", Oakland Murder Investigators Worry About More Cuts, "Crime in Oakland: Perception, reality or both? Chronicle shows. According to U.S. census data, the commercial district of Chinatown is home to about 3,000 Oaklanders who are mostly Asian and significantly older than the rest of Oakland. That is alarming: Hate crimes against AAPI community in S.F. In East Oakland, where there are shootings that threaten Black lives literally every day, we can stand in solidarity and support that crisis, as we also stand in solidarity in whats happening in Oakland Chinatown to Asian elders, said City Council president Nikki Fortunato Bas, whose district includes Chinatown, in an interview. The program, as an alternative to policing, operates seven days a week, with three teams that each include an EMT and a case intervention specialist. In its conception, MACRO was tested in communities that were deemed most vulnerable and underserved. We examined crimes by police beats, but a small share of these incidents may have been labeled with police beats that do not actually correspond with their addresses, according to Belew. Will it help reduce violent crime? Both Bas and Fife suggested other solutions, such as investing in violence interrupters, mental health services or quadrupling the number of dollars going into prevention. Against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement , both in the city of Oakland and nationwide, these city council members and many residents question if more officers on the streets is the right response to rising violence., One such program, Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO), even began transferring calls from 911 to , Members of MACRO would deal with certain community issues, such as mental health crises and public intoxication. According to, , MACRO would eliminate the tragic trend of sending armed police officers to deal with people involving cases like mental health or homelessness instances where these troubled individuals often end up dead at the hands of the police. Please check back soon for future events, and sign up to receive invitations to our events and briefings. For some people who have been working on the ground in Chinatown for years or decades, the sudden influx of attention, volunteer foot patrols, GoFundMe campaigns raising tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of days, and more has been overwhelming. Over the course of one day, Jan. 31, Yahya Muslim, a 28-year old unhoused man, allegedly attacked three people in Chinatown. Forty three percent of the population is aged 60 and older; half of all residents are over 55 years old. I am asked to subsidize big users. After hovering around 20,000 reported property crimes per month in early 2021, the numbers have increased, reaching 25,000 in October, the highest monthly total since the beginning of the pandemicand roughly the same number as before the pandemic. Some Oakland residents strongly oppose the lifting of Oaklands federal oversight. Last year, the city experienced 102 murders, a 26% increase over the three-year average. Oakland's Soaring Homicide Rate Tops 75; Oakland Police Officers For decades, the Oakland Police Department has struggled to build trust between itself and the community, as the department has been under fire for issues of police brutality and misconduct practically since the development of Oaklands Black Panther Party in 1967. We amplify community voices, share information resources, and investigate systems, not just symptoms. We examined reported crime numbers for Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2021. I see it as crimes of opportunity., Lasaphangthong said he has a unique perspective on the situation due to his own background. In 2013, the Oakland DAC integrated 130 cameras from the Port of Oakland and four city cameras. ?? My average monthly PG&E electric bill, excluding energy rebates, was $50.64 over the last 12 months. In spite of all this, Oaklands city council has planned to move forward with the implementation of a fifth police academy. Most recently, the City of Oakland experienced a wave of major uprisings in response to the death of Minneapolis resident, George Floyd. Alongside Muslims physical attacks, Chinatown has experienced a recent uptick in robberies and petty theftwhich well explore in part two of this report. Another reason Oakland saw such dramatic increases in homicides and assaults, Holmgren said, was the pandemics effect on the citys robust network of violence prevention groups, which some experts credit with helping dramatically reduce homicides in the city from 2013 through 2019. Cal Am is asking to increase charges by $9.4 million (10.52%) in 2024, by $2.5 million (2.48%) in 2025, and by $3.4 million (3.36%) in 2026. [6][7] From the period 1987 to 2012, crime declined significantly, but the city continued to struggle with persistently high rates of homicide and violent crime,[8] fluctuating over time. It shows that LGBTQ people and Black people reported being victimized because of their identities more than any other groups. The issue and concern around underreporting of crime is a real one, Lofstrom said. The increase in vehicle theft (by 10%) is also notable, as auto thefts went up in 2020 and account for the other third of the increase in property crimes in 2021. Oakland homicide rate surges by over 300 percent in 2021 Oakland native, and UC Berkeley student, Elliot Masouredis, understands MACRO as having the right substantive aim when it comes to dealing with police misconduct. While this news is disconcerting, it is worth noting that overall reported violent and property crimes are now similar to pre-pandemic levels; property crime was at a historic low in 2020, and violent crime was relatively low as well, similar to levels of the late 1960s. Peoples care and concern for our elders is beautiful, Wong of APEN said. Preliminary data from four of Californias major citiesLos Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Franciscoshow increases in property and violent crime numbers this past year. In the first few months of the pandemic, the monthly number of violent crimes dropped notably; it then rose to pre-pandemic levels by fall 2020 and declined again until early 2021. BondGraham's work has also appeared with KQED, ProPublica and other leading national and local outlets. Like most other major police departments in California, OPD tracks hate crimes and reports statistics each year to the state Attorney General. [25], In 2013, Oakland implemented a gang violence reduction plan used previously in other cities, Operation Ceasefire, based on the research and strategies of author David M. Hes also a former Chinatown Clean Ambassador, a program started in 2017 by the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, Asian Health Services, and the Chinatown Improvement Initiative (which later became GoodGoodEatz), and partly funded by East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation and the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. In California and the rest of the western U.S., Chinese immigrants were massacred, burned, and killed in the 19th- and early-20th centuries, violence rooted in white supremacy. I dont see people just targeting Asians. Oakland native, and UC Berkeley student, Elliot Masouredis, understands MACRO as having the right substantive aim when it comes to dealing with police misconduct. These are the things we doif we see someone carrying a high name-brand purse, it doesnt matter what color the skin is. Burglaries are down by about 5%. To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy, http://thepostmillennial.com/oakland-homicide-rate-up-300-in-2021, Oakland homicide rate surges by over 300 percent in 2021, REVEALED: Jeffrey Epstein met with current Biden CIA Director, Obama White House attorney after sex crimes conviction, 12 year old confronts school board after he was told his 'there are only 2 genders' shirt was a disruption, Two teens killed, four injured during early morning shooting at Mississippi house party, Tim Scott expected to announce 2024 presidential bid, Momfluencer convicted after lying about the attempted 'kidnapping' of her children, Second Amendment advocacy groups sue Washington over 'assault weapons' ban. [23] Carjackings occur two to three times more frequently in Oakland than in other cities of comparable size, and police have recorded at least one reported carjacking in every Oakland neighborhood; in 2005-2007, there were 884 carjackings in Oakland and 334 carjackings in San Francisco, despite San Francisco having about twice as many residents as Oakland. Report: Homicides Continue to Slowly Rise in the U.S., While Other Violent Crime Rates Decline. OAKLAND (KPIX) -- Oakland saw a dramatic rise in violence in 2021. Violent crimes in Oakland are 233% higher than the national average. For instance, many crimes whose descriptions read rape of drugged victim, rape by force/fear/etc or some other description that appears to refer to to a rape, are not categorized as forcible rape, the departments rape category. Since Thursday, August 6, 2020, five people tragically lost their lives in our city to gun violence. What do Chinatown residents want to see happen in terms of solutions, and whose voices arent being heard? In 2000, for insurance, there were 109 homicides in Oakland, of which 102 were classified as murders; "Jerry Brown's No-Nonsense New Age for Oakland by Heather Mac Donald, City Journal Autumn 1999", "Jerry Brown's No-Nonsense New Age for Oakland", Oakland Moves From 3rd To 5th In Most Dangerous City Survey CBS San Francisco, Oaklands homicide numbers rise for first time in two years, Murder rates dropped in S.F., Oakland in '96. The yearly bill Merchants, organizers, and residents referenced the lasting psychological impacts of the rise in anti-Chinese sentiment and physical and verbal attacks triggered by the start of the pandemic, fueled by the Trump administrations dangerous rhetoric blaming China and Chinese people for the coronavirus. Despite its low profile (as of Jan. 24, the data, which can be found here, had been downloaded fewer than 80 times), the dataset offers new opportunities to understand crime in Oakland. Anne Marks, Youth Alives executive director, previously told The Chronicle that the pandemic has made it next to impossible for the organizations workers to intervene in the kind of interpersonal way they used to do. For most years, they did not add up to a significant percentage of the overall crimes, but in 2021, about 5% of the incidents in the data were missing one or both of these values. Artificial intelligence is powerful. Oakland County man now charged in 1999 crime According to the document, more than 1,300 instances of theft were reported at commercial properties like shops, offices and grocery stores that year a 76% increase compared to 2021. Oakland and Long Beach, California, had comparable populations in 2019 (434,036 vs. 467,974), but Oaklands violent crime rate was more than double the rate in Long Beach. In 2021, Oakland reported 62 murders and had a murder rate of 26.37 per 100,000 people. To date, 51 people have been the victims of homicides in Oakland, compared to 46 people at the same time last year. [28], The Oakland Riders scandal involved a group of corrupt Oakland police officers who made false arrests, falsified evidence, and engaged in brutality. He added that resources should also go into crime prevention. The reporters and editors on The Oaklandside are dedicated to sharing the mic, reporting on systems, not symptoms, and providing you with the information you need to be an informed resident of our city. [6], The city's strategic plan recommended 925 officers, and an independent study commissioned by the city in the mid-1990s recommended 1,200 officers. But these instances only scratch the surface of the complex, troubling relationship between the department and community., In fact, in 2003, the Oakland Police Department was put under, after multiple allegations of police brutality and civil rights violation issues surfaced. After sending out a mass email to the entire department, the Instagram account posted an image with the attached caption that referred to the department-wide email about us. The investigation is ongoing., AP DeSantis Studies: His Fight to Control Black Narratives, Blue Generation: Gen Z and the Democratic Party, No Freedom of Expression: Russias Crackdown on Dissenting Musicians, Why Chinas Growing Influence in the Middle East Matters, What to Make of the Rise in Catalytic Converter Theft in California, Tackling Teichert: Protecting Local Farmland in Yolo County, Gathering Flood: The UFW Marches Across the Central Valley. One of those organizations, Youth Alive!, intervenes directly with young people to try to reduce their risk of getting into a gun-related altercation or, if theyve already been in one, to reduce the likelihood theyll be involved again. Bas and councilwoman Carroll Fife pushed back, pointing out that recent cuts to Chinatown police presence were made by the mayors administration, and accusing Schaaf of sowing division between Black and Asian communities. Instead they fall under crime types including domestic violence, other or other sex offenses.. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Pack recommended that the increases begin either in 2024 or 2025. Crime in Oakland, California, began to rise during the late 1960s, and by the end of the 1970s Oakland's per capita murder rate had risen to twice that of San Francisco or New York City. Oaklands history paints a pretty clear picture of the troubling issue at hand: how to encourage police accountability and how to build trust between Oaklands police department and the community? ??? Political chaos has erupted in this Peninsula city over one issue: Housing. Alvina Wong is the Campaign and Organizing Director at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, a nonprofit organization that organizes working-class Asian immigrant and refugee families to push for a clean and healthy environment. Crime Social distancing and stay-at-home measures curbed these efforts significantly. I dont see it as Blacks against Asians. April 27, 2023 The ambassadors removed graffiti and worked with several merchants to improve the district, while also keeping an eye on the neighborhood. [18] The Oakland Police Department (OPD) had 14 homicide detectives in 2010 and nine homicide detectives in 2011.
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