OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- There are more than a few people inclined to place the blame for Oakland’s current crime problems directly at the door of Mayor Sheng Thao. Thao, at this point, has been in office just over a year and is quick to point out, as she did to KRON 4 News last week, that the city’s rise in crime began before she took office.
"Crime in Oakland has been on a steady rise since 2019," Thao told KRON 4. "A full three years before I took office, and it is dishonest for anyone to say that crime started rising under my watch only."
But what do the numbers say?
Actually, looking at the numbers, the mayor's statement bears out as is true -- in certain areas. For example, total homicides started to increase in 2019, but the numbers have remained relatively steady over the last three years. Shootings with injury have risen since 2019 and while there was a slight dip in 2022, 2023 saw those numbers go back up again.
Robbery is a different story.
While it has gone slightly up and down over the last five years, the 38% increase between 2022 and 2023 was dramatic. Turning to property crime, auto burglaries were high in 2019, then dropped for a year.
They have been rising ever since to a level in 2023 not seen in the last 10 years.
Commercial burglaries have also seen a steady increase for the most part over the last five years and have almost tripled since 2019. Mayor Thao says new neighborhood strategies launched in September are already seeing success.
"We are seeing like in Chinatown, Uptown and Jack London Square areas for example, we have experienced 42% decrease in robberies, 32% decrease in auto burglaries and bipping and a 38% decrease in theft and 13% decrease in commercial burglaries," the mayor said, citing Bay Area slang for auto break-ins.
Of course, there are a number of factors that contribute to the rise and fall of crime, among them, poverty, unemployment, police strategies, the number of police officers, and in recent years, COVID-19.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/gVKZp6A
No comments:
Post a Comment