Despite Oakland's drop in violent crime, city still coping with rampant burglaries
It's been a turbulent year in the city of Oakland, but as the final crime numbers come out, there is cause for optimism despite the continuing issues some businesses are having with repeat break-ins.
Data shows a 34% decrease in murders and a similar drop in non-fatal shootings. It's not often you hear good news when people are talking about crime in Oakland.
"It is a true joy to be here today, celebrating a significant achievement," said Alba Hernandez, an organizer for a group called Faith in Action East Bay. "As of December 22nd of this year, we are witnessing the best year for reductions of homicides since the start of the pandemic."
A group of violence prevention activists addressed the media Monday to celebrate the data showing shootings and homicides in Oakland dropped by more than a third this year. In fact, they were calling 2024 "the safest year since the start of the COVID pandemic."
"This achievement is not by chance," said Hernandez. "It is the result of the Ceasefire strategy being successfully implemented by its dedicated partners."
Ceasefire is a non-profit program run through Oakland's Department of Violence Prevention, that targets the retaliatory shootings that cause much of the city's gun violence. It identifies those people most likely to use a gun, offering support, services and employment as a way to turn their lives around.
"Ceasefire seeks to identify the 250 to 350 people that are driving violence at any given time in this city," said Violence Prevention Chief Holly Joshi. "So far this year, we've had custom notifications and direct communications with over 200 people."
One of the purposes of Monday's press conference was to appeal to the Oakland City Council to maintain funding for Ceasefire as the city faces a $125 million budget deficit. Pastor Billy Dixon is one of the violence "interrupters" who counsel subjects in the Ceasefire program.
"I tell them, you know, these guys are going to come get you if you keep shooting. But we have something for you if you choose," he said. "But then, we also tell them this: We're not even telling you to stop doing other things. We're just telling you to stop shooting and put your guns down. That's the key message."
But that doesn't address the other crimes that have plagued Oakland's reputation. Just this weekend, a single crew drove around the city, robbing numerous stores and people. On Hegenberger Rd., numerous businesses have given up and left, including the only In-N-Out restaurant to ever close in the company's history.
Hung Tran owns a business in the neighborhood.
"There's all kinds of crimes, cars broken into. I know they closed that In-N-Out over there for the first time," he said. "I've seen first hand a lot of crimes happen at In-N-Out. I've seen people break into cars right in front of my face."
When asked if he thought 2024 was the safest year Oakland has seen since the pandemic, he replied, "I have to say it's B.S."
Resident Brenda Alvarez thought there was more to fear in Oakland than just being murdered or shot.
"When I meet people that come to visit Oakland, that's always the first question they ask me. 'Are you scared that something's going to happen to you?' It's like, yeah, there's so many things that could happen."
"It's not as bad as people think. And that's a fact, Jack," countered Oakland resident Brian Rees. He thought there were fewer petty crimes being committed, but he may be a bit de-sensitized to it.
"Personally, they've gone down. Because my car hasn't been broken into as much," Rees said. "It's been broken into three times. But that was all in my driveway!"
It turns out even victims have different feelings about the danger of crime in Oakland. Obviously, it's a good thing that the murder rate has dropped, but whether that makes the public feel safer may depend more on perception than just a positive data point.
