Mayor Quan's Neighbors In Oakland Hills Demand More Police
OAKLAND (KCBS) — Residents of the Oakmore District of the Oakland Hills , where Mayor Jean Quan resides, met on Wednesday night to demand city leaders provide more police to stop escalating home-invasion robberies and other violent crimes.
Oakmore residents say violent crimes have increased fourfold over the last year. While many expressed their fear and frustration, no one at the community meeting would give their names citing safety reasons.
One woman spoke about being pistol-whipped and robbed by two men in her garage last August.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
"I began to scream and they beat me over the head," she said. "My son witnessed the entire event. They grabbed my purse and they ran."
The incident took place not far from Jean Quan's home—a point not lost on the concerned residents.
"If she can't recall the ten blocks around her house, how the heck is she going to control the hundred of blocks—these mythical hundred blocks—around the city," one man asked.
The Oakmore residents told Oakland City Councilwoman Libby Schaaf that in addition to more police officers, they want a Montclair District substation.
Schaaf said that about 120 new officers are expected to go through the academy within the next year. In the meantime, she said the California Highway Patrol, as of last week, has been helping to supplement the police.
"I've been working for the last few weeks to get a similar agreement with the Sheriff's office," she said.
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