Some people say that crime in Oakland really isn’t up. While the murder rate is, other crimes, like burglary and auto theft, actually are comparable with previous years.
That may be true. But perception is reality, as the old saying goes, and the fact is that Oakland feels more dangerous than ever. Certainly, there’s a lot of crime. My colleagues at the Coalition, Jack and Todd, do a good job documenting local crime on our Facebook page. Then too, on nextdoor.com, people report on crime all the time. It’s clear there’s a lot of concern out there.
Will there be a tipping point? By that, I mean will Oakland’s famous liberalism erode, so that voters demand a safer city? It doesn’t seem likely anytime soon, but look at New York City, where Eric Adams, a former cop who’s very pro-police, will be the next Mayor. Adams’ victory in the primaries was widely interpreted as symbolizing how an ultra-liberal city can be moved in a more centrist direction, due to social pressures such as crime. If New Yorkers can be persuaded by events to be more conscious of public safety, so can Oaklanders.
But it will take time. Over the weekend, I met a young (20-something) woman and we had a conversation. I told her a little about my views on cops and encampments and, reading her body language, realized I was losing her. She was very polite, and thanked me for sharing my views (which she had specifically asked for), but I knew she wasn’t buying it. I’ve thought about her a lot. She considers herself young, smart, progressive and compassionate, someone who truly cares about the downtrodden, including the homeless. At the same time, she’s living in a neighborhood (District 3) in which crime (or its perception) is daily increasing. How does such a person balance her native idealism, which is so admirable, with the reality around her?
It takes a tipping point, is how. Are we close to it? Is Oakland ready for an Eric Adams-type politician?