Oakland Taco Bell units: Drive Through Only, No Cash Accepted

[reymann]

Until trends change in Oakland, I can see more fast food places follow suit. Even bay area residents are fed up with all the theft and are voting for law and order. The mayor in Oakland will likely be successfully recalled at this rate and bring in someone who will fix the police department.

[ClownLoach]

Until trends change in Oakland, I can see more fast food places follow suit. Even bay area residents are fed up with all the theft and are voting for law and order. The mayor in Oakland will likely be successfully recalled at this rate and bring in someone who will fix the police department.

This all sounds easy, but it will take years or even decades to correct because it has been allowed to get this bad. LA took twenty years to clean up the Oakland-like mess that boiled over in 1992, and unfortunately they have been headed backwards again the last five plus years or so. And having lived there in the 1990s I know it was very bad but nothing like Oakland is today; yes the homicide rate and violent crime was bad but there wasn't anything like the Oakland and SF property crimes that I hear are under reported at least ten fold as it takes hours in line or on the phone to even file a report that nobody will ever look at. The only reports getting filed are for insurance claim purposes, and we know that the insurance companies have the disincentive of jacking up your rates if you file so people only do so when they have a serious or total loss otherwise they don't report the smashed window etc. and just pay out of pocket.

The Police officers who work in these horrific conditions can and do leave. The best ones will find a different department in a safer city to work for and usually at higher pay and less hours worked. And they leave not just because of the money but because the better staffed department will allow them to actually do their job. Oakland and San Francisco are both short thousands of officers which is why the crime is completely out of control. Although political causes like "defund the police" are blamed, the fact is that these police forces were understaffed and spending their budgets on double and triple overtime anyway due to a lack of headcount. They actually would spend less overall with a full staff as they would stop paying overtime, double overtime, and triple overtime.

It will take many years to get these departments staffed back up to the needs of the community and restore law and order. Unfortunately I am sure that as the officers have to pick and choose what and where to enforce there will also be scandals and corruption found, organized crime etc. where bribes and payoffs will be uncovered as certain areas get "overlooked intentionally." Sorry but this type of stuff comes out every time, look at all the corruption prosecutions happening in LA with the city officials.

I thankfully moved to a city in the IE with an outstanding Police Dept. and I see many LAPD officers who have been allowed to commute with their squad car or motorcycle all the way out here probably in an attempt to keep them on the force. But this city also aggressively recruits them to switch departments and is very successful; the police officers here don't quit but rather retire which is the dominant source of turnover. When there is an area this enticing for these officers to be able to work in a nice, safe environment where they are empowered to do their job they will eventually leave these difficult places like working for the LAPD. The same thing is happening all over the Bay which has decimated the Oakland and SF police force, why deal with what you have to there if you could go work in a luxury suburb without the violent crime, homeless, etc. and know that the odds you won't make it home that night to your family are greatly reduced.

It is probably going to require the National Guard to be hired in SF and Oakland amongst other problematic Bay Area cities, maybe even LA, to restore order while these Police departments are staffed up again. Oakland especially is in serious trouble, if they cannot sustain any local businesses then they will eventually go bankrupt and the situation will only worsen.

[reymann]

The fact the citizens are starting to say "enough is enough" is step one. National Guard is needed in Oakland at this point and honestly, Oakland is likely heading for municipal bankruptcy, so I don't know if things have bottomed out there yet.

[Alpha8472]

The cities next to Oakland have crime, but nothing like Oakland. It is clearly the people that run Oakland that are causing all of this. Even Berkeley is very different. The police actually respond to crime and keep things under control.

[storewanderer]

The cities next to Oakland have crime, but nothing like Oakland. It is clearly the people that run Oakland that are causing all of this. Even Berkeley is very different. The police actually respond to crime and keep things under control.

The situation has gotten progressively worse since COVID. I have no idea how this will get fixed. The "tough on crime" to be elected city leadership, if they actually get elected... will need so many resources to fix the issues. Also will they fix the issues or just spread them out to other surrounding areas (and overwhelm the law enforcement in those areas)?

As more and more businesses leave the area or limit operations, fewer people will be around the area. This does provide fewer potential victims, as in the case of these fast foods going drive through only (Taco Bell, Raising Canes) or closing entirely (In N Out)...

[Alpha8472]

Burger King, McDonald's, and Church's Chicken also just closed their dining rooms.

[reymann]

I even hear for people who do not have cars in Oakland it is very difficult to get food delivered in those areas. Since dashers don't want to deliver to those areas.

[retailfanmitchell019]

The situation has gotten progressively worse since COVID. I have no idea how this will get fixed. The "tough on crime" to be elected city leadership, if they actually get elected... will need so many resources to fix the issues. Also will they fix the issues or just spread them out to other surrounding areas (and overwhelm the law enforcement in those areas)?

As more and more businesses leave the area or limit operations, fewer people will be around the area. This does provide fewer potential victims, as in the case of these fast foods going drive through only (Taco Bell, Raising Canes) or closing entirely (In N Out)...

I was in Oakland in the summer of 2019. Me and some relatives went out to dinner in the waterfront neighborhood by Downtown. It was fine then, but when I drove through Oakland in 2021, it seemed like the city was looking in a condition similar to Detroit. If In-N-Out can’t survive in Oakland, I’d say it makes Detroit look like paradise.

Oakland is now Gotham City.

[storewanderer]

I think Jack London Square is probably one of the best places to still go around Oakland. That and the airport itself literally ON airport property still seem safe.

[storewanderer]

Burger King, McDonald's, and Church's Chicken also just closed their dining rooms.

I read about one Churchs, but where are those BK and MCD units?