Stats Show Residents Fight Back Against Robbers

According to police department tallies, more Oakland residents are fighting back against robbers. There were 229 victims of attempted robberies this year up to Aug. 25, up 24 percent from the same period in 2006.

Why "attempted"? The police department commented on the statistic:

"Though not recommended by law enforcement, citizens are fighting back when approached during attempted strong-arm robberies, often times refusing to surrender their money or property." (Sept. 25, 2007 memo to city council public safety committee, p. 3)

Total robbery incidents are nearly the same this year as last, down one percent. Because of victims' increasing despair that calling the police will bring any response, many holdups probably go unreported.

Burglaries (unlawful entry of premises, usually for theft and usually in the absence of the victim) are up 11 percent. Vehicle burglaries in particular are up 26 percent.

A small but growing portion of robbery victims are fighting back as public safety continues to move toward collapse. Oakland is facing the consequences of maintaining only half a police department in comparison with most major cities.

Police resources do make a difference. The same City memo reports that the department concentrated officers in identified robbery hot spots during the month of June. In the three services areas containing the hot spots, robberies were down 27 percent compared to the previous month. But then the special effort ended.

The problem is that most of Oakland is without serious police attention most of the time. The department is reduced to chasing after "hot spots" in one part of the city after another. Two years ago the Dimond district needed attention. A crime wave was reduced for awhile, but then again this Spring, Dimond merchants posted a crime alert poster in their store windows.

With a greater presence of officers, with more investigative resources, we will read more reports like this one that a police official was able to write:

"On September 12, 2007, about 3:25 P.M., a robbery occurred in the xx block of Coolidge Street. A juvenile victim was walking from school when two juvenile suspects approached him. The suspects pushed the victim and demanded his property. The suspects took the victim's property and fled on foot. The Oakland Police Department was called and the suspect's description was broadcast. Officers O'Reilly and Lazzareschi detained the possible individuals involved in the incident. The victim positively identified the suspects, fifteen- and thirteen-year old Oakland residents. The suspects were transported to the Criminal Investigation Division for an interview. They confessed to the robbery."

Oakland needs at least 1,100 police, up from the 700 or so we have today.

Example: Woman Confronts Young Bike Thieves

Check out my shiner! I thwarted a burglary and ended up with a black eye. But I would do the same thing again.

So writes Jae Wolf on her tribe blog page. Her story continues:

On Sunday afternoon I walked out my front door to read the paper on my stoop and saw four kids on bikes – one girl around 14 and three boys somewhere from 9 to 12 years old. One of them was dragging a bicycle out of my neighbor's garage.

"Hey kids! What are you doing?" The reply: "We're stealing your bike, b*tch!"

I chased them around the corner. The boy with the stolen bike dropped it and ran. I went to pick up the bike, but the girl came back, grabbed the bike from me, and said, "You're not taking that bike."

I didn't let go. She punched me in the head and kicked me in the legs. She was really vicious, and those blows hurt.

Two large men from came over from a nearby house and pulled her off me. One of the men told the kids to get out of there.

While waiting for the police, I asked a child on the block if he knew the girl. He told me she lived on West and 21st, so after signing the report I got into the police cruiser with the officer to look for the girl. We didn't find her, but he told me to call if I see her.

At this point I was really p*ssed! I walked around 30 minutes looking for her. Three hours later I got in my car and drove around. I spotted her with a group of kids. I stopped my car and called the police. When I got out of the car, the girl said, "Why are you here? The person got his bike back, didn't he? I'm a kid and you're a grown woman. You should just let it go."

After a threat or two, she walked off to her house. The police came again and asked if I wanted to have her arrested. Heck yes! Since she is a minor and her mother was there, she only got a desk appearance ticket. The police said if she doesn't appear, she will be arrested.

I told the mother that if this is what her daughter is doing at 14, it was a slippery slope to disaster. I went to the trouble of filing a report because I want this girl to learn a lesson. If I saw another theft, I would do the same thing.

Ms. Wolf moved to Oakland from New York City three years ago. In New York she never had a problem walking at two in the morning. Like most major cities but unlike Oakland, New York has enough police that response is a matter of a few minutes, not several hours. Within one month of arriving here, Ms. Wolf was held up at gunpoint three blocks from her home at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday evening. Oakland police responded two hours later and did not take a report.