Oakland Mayor Quan Defends '100 Blocks' Plan Despite Incorrect Data
OAKLAND (KCBS) — Oakland Mayor Jean Quan defended her "100 Blocks" anti-crime plan at a news conference with some heated moments on Wednesday.
While the mayor took responsibility for some statistical mistakes, she said her plan is still the right approach.
The plan, which was revealed last October, targeted 100 blocks in the city that were never fully disclosed to the public. Quan claimed 90 percent of the city's violent crimes occurred in those blocks.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
A recent report from the Urban Strategies Council disputed Quan's claims. Using police reports, the group concluded that the 100 blocks area only accounted for 17 percent of the city's shootings and homicides.
Anne Campbell Washington, Quan's Chief of Staff, conceded last week that the statistics did not provide a comprehensive or geographically accurate profile of the city's crime problems.
"As mayor I probably should have taken more time to analyze the data and read it myself," Quan said.
During the press conference, a testy exchange occurred between Quan and City Council President Larry Reid. Part of their exchange included a dispute whether the city should adopt youth curfews or not. Reid eventually stormed out of the meeting and said the mayor's 100 Blocks plan was doomed to failure.
"It's not going to work. We don't have the resources. The police chief already said he can't sustain it," Reid said.
Violent crime in Oakland is up 20 percent this year, but the mayor and Police Chief Howard Jordan both claim there has been a recent downturn.
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