Oakland Needs

Oakland, California has been named the forth highest crime ridden city in the U.S. This was a city where Green Day, MC Hammer, and Tupac Shakur has once called home. But today the main reason why most residents have been interviewed by the media is usually because they know someone or have a close relative that has been a victim of crime. A brother was killed, a mother was mugged, a friend's house was robbed, etc. The streets of Oakland are eerily quiet once the sun goes down. One thing that jumps out of this scene is the lack of police. Where are they? Even though Oakland is located right next to San Francisco, it is almost a world of difference. On November 21, 2008, the Mayor of Oakland, Ron Dellums, announced a postponement of the 166th Oakland Police Academy until next year. Although this move surprised the city and other elected officials, most saw it as the only option for the Mayor in the first place. The city currently has a $42 million dollar deficit. There are just a little over 800 police officers on the city's payroll. To increase the police force, Mayor Dellums had to let go 69 city officals in order to hire 69 new officers earlier this month(November). Oakland officials has also decided to close government offices once a month to save money. Only police and emergency personnel will be on duty. This is the type of compromise the city of Oakland has had to make lately. These are some of the real rough decisions that some politicians have to make. What stays, what goes, and at what cost. And with the economy meltdown going on across the country, things will not get any easier for Oakland anytime soon.