Crime is a growing concern across the nation, especially in progressive cities where laws punishing offenses have grown slack. The pandemic shutdowns spawned criminality as people lost jobs and businesses. But what really boosted the numbers was the defund-the-police movement, causing law enforcement to be cut, departments to be depleted, and officers to be maligned by officials and the public. It has gotten so bad that there is a call in Oakland, CA, to declare a “state of emergency.”
The Bright Side of the Bay should employ about 1,200 police officers for its population but currently only has about 715. As posted on the Oakland Police Officers’ Association website: “Crime rates are surging in Oakland this year, police are badly understaffed, and response times to critical calls are pathetically slow, making the city an increasingly dangerous place to live.” And:
“From Jan. 1 to July 23 this year, violent crime in the city is up 15% over the same period last year, and property crime has increased 28%. Don’t count on a cop to show up in a timely fashion in an emergency. If it’s not an immediate crisis, the wait can be hours or an entire day.”
In one week in July, several serious crimes were committed according to the site: a gun battle between two speeding vehicles near police headquarters; a 67-year-old woman robbed and carjacked; a 62-year-old man who had just used the ATM was beaten with a rifle, robbed, and carjacked; a pregnant woman was shot. These were just a few of the offenses and not including robberies and other criminal activity. In fact, car break-ins are at “historic levels” and armed robberies are “approaching all-time highs,” ZeroHedge reported.
According to FBI statistics, compared to 2019, assaults and vehicle break-ins have doubled while carjackings have tripled. Oakland’s safety score is 1, the lowest possible out of 100 from NeighborhoodScout. This means that it is considered safer than only 1% of other areas across the country.
Residents have been asking their elected officials for help and attending council meetings. The NAACP wrote a letter to local government saying, “We call on all elected leaders to unite and declare a state of emergency and bring together massive resources to address our public safety crisis.” Furthermore:
“Failed leadership, including the movement to defund the police, our District Attorney’s unwillingness to charge and prosecute people who murder and commit life threatening serious crimes, and the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric have created a heyday for Oakland criminals. If there are no consequences for committing crime in Oakland, crime will continue to soar.”
(Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office rebutted the letter, stating, “We are disappointed that a great African American pastor and a great African American organization would take a false narrative on such an important matter.” However, in 2021, the city council approved a $17.4 million cut in funding to the Oakland Police Department. In May 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that the city restored $3.3 million of the $29 million in police cuts.
Even with crime on the rise and citizen complaints, the elected officials approved the 2023-2025 budget in June that promises even more cuts. More than half of the $4.2 billion budget is tied up in restricted funds, explained The Oaklandside. “The other half of the budget – the general fund – had a $360 million deficit that needed to be balanced, which meant cutting spending across departments.” While the city council approved $722 million for the police department as well as funding six police academies over the next two years, it reduced sworn police officers from 726 to 710 and trimmed overtime by 15%. Councilmember Dan Kalb explained the cuts to The Oaklandside:
“If we want to reduce funding to rec centers, cut back library hours, and close senior centers, you could free up money for the police department, but then what kind of city would we be living in? I don’t think there’s any appetite by the council or a significant portion of the public to have significant cuts to other departments to add even more money to the police department.”
To help fight against crime and protect themselves, citizens have been told to install bars across their windows and carry air horns to discourage criminals. But in Oakland, where it could take up to a day, depending on the offense, for an officer to respond, those deterrents seem rather anemic.