Downtown Oakland Office Workers Cannot Leave For Lunch Due To Violence

[Alpha8472]

Office workers in Downtown Oakland, California are being told to not leave the buildings to go to lunch. There are too many robberies and attacks.

Some companies are paying for Uber and Lyft rides to get to and from work. It is too dangerous to walk home or even to the subway stations. Carjackings have gone up. If you have a car, it will be stolen at gunpoint. It is better that the Uber get carjacked than your own car.

This is due to the Mayor and City Council members who have cut Police funding. The Mayor fired a popular Police Chief and ever since the Police have been less than enthusiastic about fighting crime.

The Mayor must pay for removing an effective Police Chief. Let the crime get so bad, the Mayor will beg for the old Chief to come back.

Having less people on the streets will make it less safe. Restaurants will suffer with fewer customers. It is a downward spiral.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/ ... 633598.php

[storewanderer]

These restaurants in Downtown Oakland relied on those office workers. A number of the ones concentrated near offices did not even open at night and closed by 5 PM or 6 PM. Downtown Oakland was the first place I tried the "La Salsa" chain, I wonder if is still open. Back then La Salsa was owned by Carls Jr., now it seems to be involved with Baja Fresh. It was in a nice little strip of restaurants with indoor/outdoor seating and a pleasant environment for office workers or anyone else.

[veteran+]

That is not the full story.

Budget was increased substantially but part of it was reallocated.

Funding or not, the Oakland Police are the problem and have been for a long time.

[Alpha8472]

The Oakland Police used to have a program where a business could pay for a police officer and a police car to be parked in front of the store for a fee. The police would be paid overtime. Home Depot used to do this. It was about $1000 a day?

Oakland Police now say they have no police officers to spare and no overtime available.

Small businesses could not afford to pay for a police officer, but large businesses could afford it. Now the program is over.

[storewanderer]

The Oakland Police used to have a program where a business could pay for a police officer and a police car to be parked in front of the store for a fee. The police would be paid overtime. Home Depot used to do this. It was about $1000 a day?

Oakland Police now say they have no police officers to spare and no overtime available.

Small businesses could not afford to pay for a police officer, but large businesses could afford it. Now the program is over.

I remember that Home Depot threatening to close some years ago due to theft issues but it is still open... that is the old Super Kmart building but the front is the only clue.