Yes, those are racist assumptions. But Im thrilled to know that the As are the home of the Wave, the Oakland Tribune is the home of Fantasy Football, and some guys basement is the home of the fortune cookie folding machine. Oakland has its own plethora of locally owned, small batch artisanal breweries and taprooms! Oakland was known as the Detroit of the West in the 1920s, during Fords heyday, and the comparison still holds true today. much of the article only referencesdowntown. How Safe Is Oakland for Travel? User Name: Remember Me: Password Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Speaking of which: you wont find any Starbucks at the Oakland Airport. If you want to go on a day trip or an evening out in Oakland, it will be like Dodge City. Hit and run deaths are common because people here dont care about one another. Subscribe and well send you our FREE 22-page Travel Planning Guide. In this article, we chose intentionally to feature it in a more positive light, while striving to acknowledge the complexity of those issues, because I think the perception of Oakland in pop culture or in society at large is exactly the way you described. I admit its not a bad article but it doesnt show all of Oakland. You know, I saw that on Wikipedia while fact-checking for this post, but it seems like Oakland still claims them since they spent quite a bit of time here, so I left them in. Something went wrong. Danger is in every city. Weve made a lot of changes to this post in response to the (valid) comments and call-outs letting us know how our words were hurtful, and Im very happy that the current version of this post seems to better reflect our love, appreciation, and respect for our adopted home city! Learn how your comment data is processed. E-40 is not from Oakland he is from Vallejo and neither is Tupac he is from New York and lived in Oakland along with Paul Mooney. And yet despite the close proximity, the two cities could not be more different. when new people move in and start calling cops on US, who have BEEN hereit is just truly a source of separation-making it so easy to other you people. But generally, Oakland was interesting and exciting. Some forums can only be seen by registered members. Oakland loves art, and its buildings are covered with colorful murals over 600 of them, to be specific! Please dont forget The Piedmont Movie theater on Piedmont Avenue. Its very sad looking at it. Were still learning and Oakland has a lot of lessons to teach us. Alina, thank you for sharing this. In summer 1905, some kid left his lemonade outside with a stick in it. Sign up below and well send you a printable version of our self-guided walking tour, plus our favorite tips for visiting! Now I really want to go and drink all of the coffee and eat all of the popsicles there loved this post . I specifically loved the article from the Inclusion Solution, Unpacking the Conversations that Matter: That Place Is Dangerous, Shady, Ghetto & Paradoxical Perceptions of Our Gentrifying Cities, and the video by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of a Single Story. And ghost-riding the whip. You dont have anything from East Oakland pass lake merrit on the way to fruitville. You are a cool person that has every right to compose whatever your heart desires. But after a lot of valid call-outs, Ive changed the post to its current format, which may read as overly positive. Id love to spend some time in Oaklandmaybe thatll be the push I need to take the West Coast trip Ive been kicking around for the last few years , This is such a lovely article! And many of us are stuck here because we cant make enough money to leave. Like, its surrounded on all sides by Oakland and the borders of the city are literally drawn through peoples houses. Oakland, CA Crime Rates and Statistics - NeighborhoodScout Stand up for yourself and stop letting these hate filled, irrational, and miserable sheep tell you how to write and what you can say. You can also take a self-guided walking tour of Oaklands public artworks. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 14. And its interesting that you chose a view of city center right above a BART station. I do think the history of Oakland is relevant, as contextual history is for every place that we visit. I saw that on Wikipedia while fact-checking. It is a gritty city with its filth out in the open. It has a deep, complicated history and culture, its own local slang, absolutely incredible food, and plenty to see and do which weve covered in detail in this post. I included a link to that Wikipedia page in the article, but here it is as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Oakland,_California Its a pretty comprehensive list, and the best resource I could find for that particular section! They said theyd never thought of it that way. 57 acres of joy next to Lake Merritt. What are the most dangerous parts of Oakland? - Quora Oakland's murder rate is 4 times higher than the national average. Ricky Henderson. We are about to make our first trip to Oakland & SF for a combo business and vacation. Why Is Oakland So Dangerous? Nearly every clubhouse will have new faces or say goodbye to others. Through its outreach programs, it has served all the communities of Oakland. Anyone who goes to Oakland has to be out of their mind. The gold rush did not start in the 1870s. Oakland's roadways are among the deadliest in California. It had the first Black Santa and the magic storybook boxes are bi-lingual. Oakland named one of the most dangerous cities in America, San Jose one Its a complex city with an overwhelming amount of homeless encampments and a lot of history entangled in a concrete web of industry. Although you DID make quite a few errors,rather than blast you I just kept reading. Oakland looks great and I had no idea. One piece of Oaklands complicated history gives context to where that narrative may have emerged: in the 70s and 80s, Oakland was hit hard by the crack epidemic. Its a one-sided opinion article I mean I lived out 14th Street for over a year I worked at Eco cannabis even during covid and before covid when there used to be first Fridays. The intersection is missing accessible pedestrian signals, which help visually-impaired people cross by using audio to alert them when it's safe, and there are no digital signs counting down . Homey and worth exploring. I miss it so much . The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland in the mid 60s by two local college students. Just for the simple fact Im from Oakland, people step back, slightly startled.facts. While flower children were dreamily Summer of Love-ing all over the place in the Haight, the youth of Oakland were forming the Black Panthers and the Chicanos, declaring that Black is Beautiful and uniting to protect Latinos from being drafted into the Vietnam War. You cannot talk about Oakland without talking about race. But Ill keep trying to do better. Looking forward to more of your work. Heres a guide to spending a day drinking your way through the Ale Trail. Because I wrote a book that has the word hella in it about 450 years ago. Where are these places you wonder? It also provides Transbay service; theres no better way to experience the Bay Bridge approach to San Francisco from Oakland. Quora - A place to share knowledge and better understand the world I have been here for 14 years. In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Oakland to be one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, since we dont have kids weve never been able to visit, and the vast majority of our readers dont have kids either, which is why we didnt include it in our list (family travel isnt something we cover). Its really not a nice place at all. All the best things to do, to see, and discuss in the San Francisco Bay Area! Please dont say you are from Oakland because you live here. This book is full of step-by-step secret staircase walks, and weve been working our way through it for years. Answer (1 of 15): Thge maps give you a glimpse of the geography, but they don't tell the whole story. I dont want anybody visiting Oakland without having at least some frame of mind to understand the city, and to visit with a mindset to learn more about it during their stay here. . You have a 1 in 44 chance of being a victim of one of the three types of property crimes, even if you are a visitor. I dont see you as an entitled white person and I think that calling someone an entitled white person is extremely racist. Privacy Policy. For me, having lived elsewhere in the country and traveled all over the world, Oakland is still one of the most beautiful cities Ive ever been to or lived in! In terms of defunding OPD, my understanding (based on resources like https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/) is that the intention is to remove bloat from the OPD budget and redirect it (more like re-investing than defunding) to other social services that have been proven to help positively affect communities and reduce crime, such as housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, mental health workers and other services Instead of police, we want to hire more social workers, mental health workers, EMTs, teachers, and other civilian positions. It would also help to support mental health workers as first responders in incidents of mental health crises, including, but not limited to, psychiatric emergencies, substance use support, and domestic violence situations that require victim extraction. This is actually a program that has been operating in your home city of Sacramento since January 2020 learn more here: https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/mh-first-sac, I was born and raised here and it is definitely different but its the allowance of things to happen that make it this way and as far as the police department goes and it being defunded have you been paying attention so do you know that Oakland is on the United Nations terrorist list the people who are supposed to protect and serve are the ones who are making deals having prostitution rings selling drugs themselves? Thank you for sharing your perspective, and I definitely see your points. So glad that I found these articles. https://practicalwanderlust.com/where-to-eat-in-oakland/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland,_California, https://oaklandnorth.net/2009/06/24/oakland-a-city-many-women-call-home/, https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Oakland,_California, https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/the-east-bays-changing-demographics/Content?oid=13262928, https://www.tenantstogether.org/sites/tenantstogether.org/files/California%20Wall%20St%20Landlords%20in%202019.pdf, https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/mh-first-sac, 18 Marvelous Things to Do in Mesa, Arizona, 25 Sensational Things to Do in San Antonio, Texas, 33 Essentials for Traveling with a Baby (& what to leave at home), 23 Awesome Things to do in Zermatt, Switzerland, You can find plenty more book suggestions in the. 10 Most Dangerous Cities In California Methodology FAQs Summary Table Of Data What do Biggie, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg have in common? this article is mot for poc. I think all police departments need to do the same thing Nurses have to do and other people who have to continually register and go to school to continue to do their job or they dont have a license to do so I think that will keep a lot of police officers in check. Granted that city has a beautiful park system and very nice weather. There is one thing about natives of Oakland (born and raised). GTFOH. And now you want them to comfort you and make you feel at home here?! Oakland and San Francisco were both well-established cities in the 1870s, when the Gold Rush brought hordes of Americans out to explore its newfound western borders. And something about the writer seems disingenuous. Tips on Oakland Warnings and Dangers - Stay Safe! - SmarterTravel You know, I love oakland, and alameda for that matter, but let's be honest. Check out the highlights here, but dont worry you dont need to go out of your way to find street art in Oakland. Why? We are still learning about its history and its legacy, but we have deep respect for its impact and activism a spirit that is very much alive and well here today. I understand you make money off of these posts and wouldnt want to focus too much on irrelevant information outside of travel tips, but if thats the case, then dont write about a place that youre not ready to fully comprehend. Thank you for sharing some of your memories of Oakland with us, Yeni! There are 17 local roasters and countless excellent third-wave coffee shops heres a guide. 1. I agree with this comment. Sure, yes, most of Oakland is totally find and safe and the bad part of Oakland is relatively small and easy to avoid. To your point about photos, as a rule I avoid taking pictures of other people or personal residences without their consent. A minimum of $150,000 is needed to afford housing and any unexpected expenses if . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Yes, it certainly sounds like its not a good fit for either you or Oakland . Its OK to have different perspectives on a complex issue and place like Oakland, and like you said, Im doing my best to encompass it all and learning all the time! Museums! Its as if *you* have never thought of what it must be like for so many families who have lived here for generations who are the real fabric of this city (and what compels others to be attracted to it in the first place) that have experienced any number of exploitations (from economic insecurity to mortgage fraud and developer speculation), who now must listen to white people whining about the injustices theyre experiencing. Oakland is a giant city, an urban cultural mecca that stretches from the coast to redwood-covered rolling hills. Archived post. Was that a flex? And they invented the Fortune Cookie Folding Machine. For families, its definitely high on any must-do list! Frustrated businesses say Oakland's Pearmain Street is a dangerous The 3-mile wide lagoon is home to the oldest designated wildlife refuge in the United States and there are 70 species of native birds surrounding Lake Merritt (and no, theyre not all pigeons). GREAT dim sum there! Your air of ownership thecolonizer mentality is the reason gentrification gets equated with white people. Im well aware of the history,landmarks,restaurants,etc. Oaklands hard-working and diverse population grew from Chinese immigrants (Oakland has one of the largest and oldest Chinatowns in the US read more), Latinos immigrated north from Mexico as part of the Bracero program, and Black communities migrating from the South. I like the article and appreciate all the positives about my home, Oakland. Get your brew on with the Oakland Ale Trail. But in terms of United States history, both cities are equally old. And in Oakland, local winemakers are bringing their grapes from wine country back home to finish the process here in town, in those large, urban warehouses that Oaklands got in spades. What a uniquely conscious travel post. My goal with this post and generally with all of the travel articles on our blog has been to write for the people who typically read our posts, and to try to subvert the dominant narrative by writing about important things that arent typically written about in the context of travel media/travel blogs. Planning started in 2009 as part of a nationwide initiative to secure ports by connecting motion sensors and cameras in and around the shipping facilities. Being a Christian, Im well aware that religion or the church is usually left out of articles and conversations that arent specifically about that. I Drove Into Oakland's Most Dangerous Hoods. It Was Nuts. What each MLB team should do at 2023 Trade Deadline - MLB.com To your point about the lack of discussion of Oaklands many ethnicities, thats a good point. West Oakland- Why So Dangerous? - San Francisco - City-Data.com The attacks on the residents in Chinatown are horrible. It is 102 years old!! They are full of blessings to people who bless them. To live comfortably, it is recommended to at least be making anywhere from $100,000 to $125,000 a year if you are living alone. The Oakland in me will never die. I admit it, Ive only been to Oakland once and that was only as it was cheaper hotels than SF and I was going to explore the redwoods and Point Reyes. Between the 1920s and 1940s, during Oaklands manufacturing heyday, Oakland built tons of Art Deco style buildings the cool, hip, with-it architecture style of the day. Some of Oaklands most famous residents include: Clint Eastwood, who is Clint Eastwood. Why Is Oakland So Dangerous? (11 Reasons Why) - VeryInformed I think Ill forever be coming back to this post to change and update it as my own understanding and appreciation of Oakland changes and evolves, to try to capture its essence better and Ill probably always fall short. Unsubscribe anytime. Mac Dre mor e40 are from Oakland. OK, sure, San Francisco was the home of the Spanish Mission and is, therefore, technically an older established city than Oakland. Oakland is like any city. Enjoy the food scene. To your point, though, we do aim to positively impact the community that we live in. Well, theres no question about whether the government was actively hunting down and killing members of the Black Panther Party. Enjoy the decriminalized psychedelics, and legal weed. Relatively stable cost of living, although it's beginning to skyrocket. Just because credit is important, Im writing to say that the beautiful jellyfish mural on the secret stairs was painted by Dan Fontes, who also painted the giraffes under 580. You can learn and experience so much from living there that you can use in your future life. Oaklands Chinatown is a gem; great food without the pretensions of SF. Im surprised that I didnt see any mention of Jack London as a resident of the city. Today, a few members of the Black Panther party can still be seen in Oakland running drills at the Ashby BART Station during its weekend flea market (which is also home to an EXCELLENT drum circle, FWIW). I agree with you Ayanna, I am really from Oakland, and though I appreciate the positive vibes, it does not sit well with me being a native. This article is wrong more than it is right. I am a working detective from Sacramento and my family is from Oakland. I do want to add that I dont think you can be racist against white people! As Oaklands poet (October 6 is Paradise Day in the city of Oakland) I will fill you in on more of the incredible history and true meaning of Oakland when I get access to a computer hopefully tomorrow. Wait a moment and try again. Ive read most of the comments and speaking for myself I thoroughly enjoyed the article and found it informative as far as some of the wineries. In Oakland, youll want to eat chicken & waffles, shrimp & grits, street tacos, spongy Ethiopian injera bread, sizzling Korean bulgogi, steamed soup dumplings, deep-fried vegan soul food, smokey BBQ, and bubbling mac & cheese. Why is Oakland such a brutal and dangerous city? - Quora 1. City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > San Francisco - Oakland: West Oakland- Why So Dangerous? My dad even had his car broken into there and a bunch of his stuff was stolen. Theyre served in Tiki Bars. And talk to the homeless. I have heard, although I cannot find a citation for it, that the families of kids in OUSD speak more than 100 languages at home. Its an okay article just not a true view of what this city is. This article does point out a lot of the great and often overlooked parts of Oakland which is great. Its dumb folks that overlook the danger of Oakland that get targeted like, oh its totally cool, Im anti-racist so Im a not a target. We are still learning. For daring to carry guns (legally), they were branded as public enemies and subjected to horrific FBI COINTELPRO raids. Like, Mai Tais are supposed to be Polynesian. I was cleaning a parking lot and a black guy told me to go back to Mexico and then he made mariachi sounds before throwing his trash on the floor i was cleaning and burning tire to get away. This article is from an outsiders point of view. Using Common Sense While Enjoying Oakland. There is SO MUCH WINE. We understand there's a lot of good in every place. How huge? By the end of the 70s, Oakland'. The rankings are calculated based on the number of violent crimes per 100,000 people for each neighborhood, compared to the Oakland violent crime average.