Introduction
We have resurrected this website in response to some who wished to see my essays more available to the public. There is no democracy without public debate. The following essays are offered as random thoughts regarding Oakland that flowed from concerns expressed openly in our community. There are websites and blogs, writers and journalists, sufficient in Oakland to stir facts and opinions into progressive solutions for a better City. These essays are merely a small ingredient in the recipe.
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SUMMARY |
DATE POSTED |
What’s Wrong at OPD? |
We might recall that the nuclear tenet for “Geographic Policing” was to be “real time information.” Any comprehensive strategy has to include two parts: (1) How much crime, where and when; (2) How many cops, where and when. Sadly, the variables are unknown, as is the equation itself.
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December 16, 2009 |
Violence, Violence, Violence
Where is the Sense of Crisis? |
Each morning I check the O.P.D. Daily Crime Analysis Report for hopeful signs. Each day, reading the Tribune and seeing the television coverage, it seems there are constant reminders that violence in Oakland is unabated.
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December 4, 2009 |
Who’s Number One? |
Recently there was a national report published that Oakland had the third highest rate of violence in the United States, behind Camden, New Jersey and St. Louis Missouri.
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December 3, 2009 |
Oakland and Long Beach? |
We’ve all heard how similar Long Beach is to Oakland. Are we really?
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November 20, 2009 |
Let’s Give Chief Batts a Fair Chance |
The violent crime rate is 322% higher per capita in Oakland than in Long Beach!
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November 19, 2009 |
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Hello Chief Batts, welcome to Oakland. What you accomplish at OPD in the upcoming years can unlock the door to Oakland’s future.
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November 16, 2009 |
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I received an email yesterday that prompts some thoughts. The sender tickled the notion that a better Oakland is still worth working for. It makes me wonder… again.
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November 15, 2009 |
Putting The Last Four Years Behind Us |
We can’t face the solution if we won’t face the problem.
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February 21, 2009 |
Horrendous, Horrible, Horror |
A team of top-notch journalists, known as the Chauncey Bailey Project, investigated Mr. Bailey’s horrendous murder in minute detail, leaving a trail of unanswered questions, innuendos, and the stink of a horrible truth.
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February 10, 2009 |
Oakland Citizens Should Know |
Oakland is a source of immense pride.
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January 31, 2009 |
| "Ugly. Where does it end?" |
"There are too many scandals, too many investigations of wrong-doing, and too little public safety in Oakland…"
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January 22, 2009 |
Need Not Apply |
Wilson Riles: “I was told that you had threatened to continue criticizing the management policies of the Police Department if you were not given a paid position with the Department.”
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January 8, 2009 |
Ignorance Is Not Bliss |
There is a new paradigm of Violent Crime now, except that Chief Tucker doesn’t seem to know it.
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January 1, 2009 |
Chief Davis of San Jose Speaks |
While Oakland's police apparatus has fallen apart, Chief Davis was obviously doing something right in San Jose. What difference did Chief Davis offer?
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December 18, 2008 |
Can Anyone Hear the Sounds of Violence? |
Bad in Philadelphia, much worse in Oakland…
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December 12, 2008 |
Love Oakland and Live In It |
101,023 people moved out of Oakland during 2005-2007.
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December 10, 2008 |
Camden Isn’t Even Close |
Oakland’s Flatlands suffer 47% more violent crimes than Camden, New Jersey…
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December 5, 2008 |
The Recruiting, Hiring, Training Debacle, and the Simple Solution |
There’s a lot of apparent progress, and despairing false promise, in running on a treadmill backwards.
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November 20, 2008 |
No Excuses |
In this essay we challenge many of the excuses given for Oakland’s high violent crime rate with respect to our City’s commonly perceived negative social conditions.
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November 9, 2008 |
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We’re stuck in a quicksand of inaction.
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October 30, 2008 |
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How long does it take for a city to know if it has chosen the right Police Chief?
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October 30, 2008 |
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Don't think so...
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October 16,
2008 |
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If anyone believes OPD's "crime numbers," then the anesthesia of mis/non-information is working.
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September 29, 2008 |
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Apparent abuses may be only the tip of the iceberg…
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September 23, 2008 |
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Oakland is far and away the most violent California City…
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September 19, 2008 |
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National Crime figures for 2007 are in and they add to bleakness of violent crimes…
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September 18, 2008 |
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Responding to “obfuscation” about “more cops” and other issues…
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September 16, 2008 |
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Follow-up essay in response to Don Link advisory…
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September 15, 2008 |
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Another non-plan coming from City officials is dissected…
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September 13, 2008 |
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Essays by private citizens are not easy to write because in a city such as Oakland there is an inherent inertia for status quo, a patina of political aging that rejects any outside coloring. The inertia can be pompously dismissive, or it can be defensively aggressive.
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June 11, 2008 |
Violent Crimes and Domestic Violence |
Domestic violence deserves all the attention it can get. It is all too often unreported. Yet, to imply or assert that reporting of them have a significant mitigating effect on violent crimes in general is to wave Ostrich tail feathers in the air. Read More… |
June 10, 2008 |
Who's Job Is It? |
It should be fairly easy to rate any Police Chief's effectiveness by simply seeing whether, given certain factors to be taken into account, like demographics and secular crime trends, the City is safer, the same, or worse off with respect to the crime rate... particularly the violent crime rate. Read More… |
June 5, 2008 |
Violence is a Losing Attitude |
There is a prevalence of acceptance that associates Oakland and Violent Crimes with normalcy, inevitability, helplessness, and other pessimistic and cynical attitudes. It is no wonder that in such a cauldron of ignorance that the only solutions come in the form of “more money” and “more cops.” Read More… |
June 1, 2008 |
Flint Worse Than Oakland? |
Yes, I know there are many who feel that Flint Michigan is really the number one violent crimes city in the country, and why didn't I mention it? Read More… |
May 31, 2008 |
Jeff Loman, Public Safety Director |
Having just read Kelly Rayburn's Oakland Tribune Article about the coming departure of Lenore Anderson, I would like to make a few comments. Read More… |
May 31, 2008 |
Ready For Crisis Mode Yet? |
Looking at the latest Crime Analysis Section Daily Crime Report is like taking a cold shower on a cold day. It should wake everyone up with a spine tingling chill. Read More… |
May 31, 2008 |
Why San Jose Should Have More Crime Than Oakland |
Our policy makers and our OPD senior staff have travelled all over this country to find miracle cures for the violent crimes that plague Oakland. They could have saved precious money and time if they'd commuted just 20 minutes down the road to San Jose. Read More… |
May 31, 2008 |
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It is the responsibility of those holding public office to establish the policies, as manifest in priorities, ethos and general strategies.
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May 24, 2008 |
What's In Demographics For Us? |
You will recall that Oakland's Violent Crime rate went up 51% from 2000 to 2006, while in the same time period we lost 22,228 citizens of our population in an exodus. Read More… |
May 24, 2008 |
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Don't read this if numbers bore or intimidate you... You shouldn't have to delve into the meanings behind the numbers. At least, you shouldn't if you have confidence in those presenting them. Read More… |
May 22, 2008 |
Oakland's Shock and Awe... |
Channel 2 announced this morning that Oakland has just suffered its 55th Homicide. What does that mean? Read More… |
May 22, 2008 |
A Visit to the Back Room
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It might be useful for some to share my first insights into the complex apparatus that weaves the tapestry of government from the Mayor to the Officers in the neighborhoods. Read More… |
May 20, 2008 |
“An Uninspiring Bunch” |
Answering an understandably frustrated Oakland constituent’s frustration…
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April 13, 2008 |
Accountability at the Top of OPD |
What happened at OPD and what should happen?
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March 25, 2008 |
How busy are Oakland cops? |
Very busy. However, so is a hamster in a wheel…
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March 23, 2008 |
Numbers and Information at OPD… and beyond |
To add insult to injury, while Oakland's Violent Crimes were up +43%, California cities over 100k were down -13.4% and national cities over 250,000 were down -14.3%. What part of "We're doing things wrong" don't we understand?
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March 22, 2008 |
Common Threads for Better Public Safety in Oakland |
A random essay setting foundations for later discussions…
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March 1, 2008 |
Relevant Comparative Statistical Data on Reported Crime Rates |
An early review of 2006 Oakland, California, and National crime data…
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February 7, 2008 |
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