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Robbed Three Times, Subway Shop Closes
Repeat Robberies Close West Oakland Business
The owner of the Subway shop in the Mandela Gateway retail strip on Seventh Street closed his restaurant Friday, Sept. 28 after the third robbery in a month. Two armed men entered the restaurant across from the West Oakland BART station at 2 p.m. Friday and demanded cash.
"I had three team members working today. I have video, they can see themselves on a 15-inch screen," said Manoj Tripathi, the franchise owner. "This is the third time in 30 days, each time people with guns in broad daylight ... 11 a.m., 2 p.m., we're not talking 8 or 9 at night."
Several Subway employees have quit because of the armed robberies.
– Oakland Tribune, Sept. 30, 2007
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City Boasts of Placing Five Youth in Jobs
The Y Team – a team of outreach workers funded by Measure Y – hit the streets of West Oakland two weeks ago to offer concrete opportunities to young people who crave an alternative to street life.
At least five people's lives have changed forever as a result. Three West Oakland young people have started new jobs at the House of Chicken and Waffles, and two more are scheduled to begin work later this week at other businesses.
– Press release from City of Oakland, Department of Human Services, Sept. 4, 2007
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On one hand, thugs enjoy complete freedom on the streets of de-policed Oakland, causing a Subway shop owner to close his business. On the other hand, City Hall, which keeps the police department hundreds of officers below needed strength, boasts that millions of Measure Y tax dollars found jobs for three youth at another food outlet.
– Sept. 30, 2007
Oakland Tribune Says City Has Too Few Police
"The thieves [who robbed Subway in daylight three times within a month] probably knew that Oakland's police department is so understaffed and overwhelmed dealing with murders and other violent crimes that robberies are low priority – unless someone gets shot."
That's what an Oct. 10 editorial in the Oakland Tribune said. It continued, "We have little doubt that a visible police presence would have prevented robberies at Subway. But the point is moot: the department doesn't have the officers to spare."
Tribune executives are concerned about the economic health of Oakland, which is essential for advertising revenue, and they recognize Oakland does not have the minimum level of public safety that commerce needs to thrive. This is hardly news. Nine months ago the Oakland Chamber of Commerce published a survey of businesses. It concluded, "This study's survey of local businesses ranked crime as the most serious obstacle to doing business in Oakland, to growing existing businesses, and to attracting new businesses."
Perhaps the news is that the Tribune joined the ranks of those who call upon City Hall to face the facts. "Mayor Ron Dellums has said in the past that he didn't want to turn the city into a police state by increasing the size of the police force. Yet what could be worse than giving hoodlums free reign?"
We need a solid commitment to at least 1,100 police in this city of 400,000 residents – on a permanent basis, not just temporary help and grants from the State or federal government.
– Oct. 30, 2007
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