Crime Prevention Month reminds neighbors to stay vigilant

As part of National Crime Prevention Month this October, the Oakland Police Department is collaborating with the city’s Neighborhood Services Coordinators to promote awareness of issues such as victimization, volunteerism and creating safer communities.

Illegal dumpers contributing to West Oakland street waste

West Oakland residents, business owners and city leaders openly refer to their neighborhood as the city dump. Although the mounds of trash may not be as prevalent as it once was thirty years ago, illegal dumping is still a large problem. Every year, Waste Management, the city’s waste removal company, continues to haul away tons of trash from streets and sidewalks. Although the city has a law that fines dumpers $1,000, it’s difficult to enforce.

19th anniversary of Oakland firestorm remembered by residents

Dubbed as America’s worst urban fire since the Great Chicago Fire, Wednesday marks the 19th anniversary of the Oakland firestorm which left 25 people dead, 150 injured and over 3,000 homes destroyed. To honor those who fought and those who were lost, the Firestorm Community Mural Project was erected in 1994.  Located outside the Rockridge BART station, the mural features over 2,000 hand-painted tiles. [This video and timeline are no longer available.]

Religious leaders address police funding measures at Oakland City Hall

“We are here to demand that you go back to the negotiating table. We need the officers, but we don’t have the money,” Bishop Frank Pinkard of Mosswood’s Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church said to the committee, while standing with representatives from four other faith-based organizations including the Men of Valor Academy and the Allen Temple Baptist Church.

Howie Harp closing, leaving homeless without service

On October 15, the Howie Harp Multi-Service Center at San Pablo and 18th Street will close. For the last 21 years, Howie Harp has served homeless people diagnosed as mentally ill. The clients’ conditions run the gamut from schizophrenia and narcotics abuse to manic depression and diabetes, and Harp has provided such services as housing referrals, anger management, counseling, hygiene kits and meals. Watch the photo slideshow and hear from the people who have sought aid from the center for so many years.

Reward of $10,000: Child shot while sleeping

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that will lead to a suspect arrest in the September 28th shooting of a six-year-old girl.  The girl was shot in the arm while she was sleeping in her parents’ bed, but she survived her injuries. Oakland Police Department felony assault investigators are working on the case.  Anyone who has any information regarding this case is asked to call Sergeant P. Gonzales at the Criminal Investigation Division at 510-238-3328.

East Oakland festival celebrates youth leadership

On Saturday, Youth Uprising, a not-for-profit organization that develops young leaders, celebrated its third annual For A Safe Town (FAST) festival in East Oakland in an effort to promote peace. Bounce houses, basketball tournaments, skating demos, DJs, and the savory smells of a free BBQ chicken lunch attracted a couple hundred people from the community.

Two Berkeley burglars captured. One at large

The Berkeley Police Department followed three male suspects fleeing the scene of a residential burglary in Berkeley southbound into North Oakland on September 20. Two of the three suspects were caught in the area of 63rd Street and San Pablo Ave and were later identified by community members as having burglarized the residence on Alcatraz Avenue. The third suspect remains outstanding.

After Oakland police cuts, residents dialing Piedmont police

With a rash of non-violent crimes occurring shortly after the layoff of 80 Oakland police officers—and after the police department changed its strategy for handling non-emergency crimes—some Upper Rockridge and Montclair residents have been calling another city’s police department for help: Piedmont’s.

Community organizers urge support for Measure BB

At a Monday morning press conference, 12 community activists from anti-violence, religious and crime prevention groups backed Council Member and mayoral candidate Jean Quan in promoting Measure BB, a public safety measure that will appear on the November city ballot.

A tasting tour on two wheels

Fine wine, microbrews and delicatessen chocolate never tasted so good with a little bike grease. In conjunction with the Eat Real Festival last Saturday at Jack London Square, 13 two-wheeled foodies pedaled along Oakland’s waterfront to meet the neighborhood’s culinary artisans and sample their creations.