It's Official-Oakland is Dangerous
Stop the violence in Oakand
Oakland peace activists, safety advocates and criminal justice officials take note: according to a study released today, Oakland's almost dead last in the race towards the safest city in the country.
"City Crime Rankings 2009-2010: Crime in Metropolitan America", a new report by CQ Press, ranks Oakland 3rd in the nation for violent crimes with only Camden New Jersey and St. Louis, Missouri scoring higher.
The study collected data from 393 metropolitan areas in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. The rankings include all cities of at least 75,000 residents that reported crime data to the FBI in 2008.
Colonie, New York earned the safest ranking, with only 54 incidents of violent crime. Camden, NJ wins the prize with 2,332.6 violent crimes reported per 100,000 population, compared with a national average of 454.5.
California was heavily represented on the list with Compton, Richmond, Stockton, Vallejo and San Bernadino all ranking in the top 50 most violent cities, while Mission Viejo and Irvine, CA were among the safest.
The controversial study has been published annually for the last 16 years and has regularly drawn criticism from officials and criminal justice professionals from highlighted cities. This year is no exception.
“The F.B.I has questioned the validity of these rankings and the U.S. Conference of Mayors says this report is both ‘misleading and a disservice to the public,’" Mayor Dellums said in a statement, "Oakland’s own data says that our city is making progress in bringing peace to our streets."
Dellums also said that since his State of the City address in January, Oakland has seen a "17 percent drop in homicides and a 13 percent drop in overall crime - versus a drop of only four percent nationwide."
Stop the Violence image courtesy of Stoptheviolence.org
About Kwan Booth
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Dellums is our mayor? He hasn't done anything for so long I thought he must have been gone.
Mayor Dellums is full of it. There were 10 armed robberies in my neighborhood alone in just the past three weeks. The cops attitude is well if nobody is dead yet we won't worry about it. I don't like be a hostage of my own home. Most of these crimes happened on the persons front yard or drive-way. Not only that the crimes are happening in broad daylight. Obviously the people commiting these crimes aren't worried about the law. Even more sad neighbors aren't looking out for each other.
oakland is the BEST city in the bay area, for the WEATHER ,,
as far as all the people in it are concerned, it has become nothing but a GHETTO since dellums took office,,,
In the last election, we had to choose between del la fuente, or this idiot, and since the city lost out either way it went, i had to choose the lesser of the two evils,, I now wish i had just stayed home as this mayor has COMPLETELY RUINED this city,,,
I just HOPE that this miserable excuse for a man runs for re-election, so he can be SOUNDLY defeated into the retirement he so desperately needs to do
Thanks to DO NOTHING DELLUMS,, I am moving away from the bay area, as it sickens me to see what a mess he has made of this once beautiful city,,
Reading through the neighbrhood council reports and talking to people around the city, it is clear that many crimes--burglaries, simple assaults--are on the rise in some areas. I wonder how much people feel that neighborhood crime watch, meetings on safety, meeting your beat cops, etc. actually make a difference. Do you agree with Oakland Resident that "people commiting these crimes aren't worried about the law." Is it true in your view that neighbors aren't looking out for each other? Or are neighbors the first line of defense?