Crime
VIDEO: Giving kids and communities hope — Youth Alive works to stop the cycle of violence in Oakland
For more than 30 years, an Oakland nonprofit has been working in neighborhoods to interrupt the cycle of violence that often leads to retaliation and incarceration. This story follows the work of Eric Adams, Keith Wesley and Doral Myles, violence interrupters with Youth Alive who at one time were caught up in that cycle and are now trained and committed to helping communities break it. Their efforts are spent on disrupting violence, along with fostering hope and healing, and bringing…
Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has been charged by the federal government of using her office to enrich herself, her boyfriend and Oakland contractors David and Andy Duong. The eight-count indictment, which was handed down by an Oakland grand jury on Jan. 9 and unsealed Friday, contends that a few weeks before she was elected mayor in 2022, Thao committed to helping David and Andy Duong extend the recycling contract their company, California Waste Solutions, had with the city, and worked…
When Cherry Chan moved back to Oakland last year after living in Hawaii, she found a city that was struggling with a host of social issues, among them, brazen property crime. Chan works at a shoe shop in Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood, where she says she often sees car break-ins. “It’s become like the wild west,” she said. Early this year, In-N-Out Burger closed its location near Oakland International Airport “due to ongoing issues with crime.” Then Denny’s Restaurant followed suit. Shop owners…
Despite claims and counterclaims by politicians, police officials and community groups about the direction of Oakland’s crime rate, one thing is clear: Many Oakland voters say they continue to feel unsafe when they are out shopping, dining at a restaurant, or even strolling around Lake Merritt. On Tuesday, California voters will decide on a new statewide ballot measure that proposes tougher penalties for law-breakers. Proposition 36, say its supporters, will provide much needed relief to the crime plaguing the city….
After spending a combined 62 years on death row, two men will likely have their sentences reduced because of alleged prosecutorial misconduct at the Alameda County District Attorney’s office. During a July 16 news conference, District Attorney Pamela Price, who campaigned on a promise to not seek the death penalty, announced that Ernest Dykes and Keith Thomas will be resentenced. The move is the first tangible outcome of a judge-ordered review of death penalty cases in the county. In April,…
A two-day toxic blaze that blanketed Oakland in smoke last summer has resulted in criminal indictments for Radius Recycling. “Under my leadership, this administration will not allow corporate criminals to poison our community recklessly, to create vulnerabilities for our community and for those who serve our community and just walk away having made a profit and get off with a slap on the wrist,” Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said in a news conference on Tuesday. Radius has denied…
As the state expands its law enforcement presence in Alameda County, Gov. Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Pamela Price are expressing disappointment in each others’ handling of the partnership. Speaking at a news conference in Oakland Thursday, the governor announced that the state Attorney General’s Office would be stepping in to handle more cases originating in Alameda County. This will accompany a fourfold increase of California Highway Patrol personnel operating in the county. The shift comes on the heels of…
In the chaotic aftermath of last Wednesday’s mass shooting near Lake Merritt, the Oakland Police Department overcounted the number of gunshot victims associated with the incident. The reason, a separate and nearly simultaneous double shooting. Initial reports said there were 15 gunshot victims who were transported to the hospital from the Lake Merritt area. But police have since determined that one of those victims was wounded less than 30 minutes later in a double shooting in the Bella Vista neighborhood….
The FBI’s San Francisco office raided embattled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s home in the Oakland hills Thursday morning, carting off several bags and boxes. Hours later, the mayor — who will be up for recall in the November election — had yet to address the raid. No one answered the bell at her house on Maiden Lane. Her office referred questions to the FBI. It’s unclear what the FBI was searching for. The San Francisco office said only, “The FBI…