SerpentVenom

The move is finally complete and now the unpacking begins. This task is even more daunting when you suddenly find yourself squeezed into a place that is 200 square feet less than you're used to. On the plus side, we now find ourselves back in Berkeley where the schools are better and there are fewer problems than in Oakland. We will miss our old neighborhood and the friends we have made who, despite all assurances to keep in touch, will seem to drop off the face of the earth in a month or so. But we will not miss the terrible landlord, the helicopters circling overhead, the weirdos across the street with the scary dogs, or Oakland's perpetual state of crisis.

Certainly Berkeley has its own problems and issues, but few of them have such a direct impact as those you encounter in Oakland. Within six months of moving into our old place in Oakland, we had a break-in and several valuable items were stolen. Our insurance covered our losses, but it did little to restore our sense of security in our own home. To make matters worse, once the police arrived, they told us it would be more than six months to process the fingerprints they collected because the lab was understaffed due to budget issues.

It's no secret that crime is a major issue in Oakland. But there is very little being done to actually reduce crime. It's not enough to just throw more police on the streets. Since living in a police state with curfews and cops on every corner is not a option, other solutions are needed. The root of the problem is societal and cultural. Unless and until the social issues that plague Oakland's underprivileged are resolved, the problems will persist and crime will continue unabated.

Unfortunately, in this age of no new taxes, the situation will only get worse in Oakland. It seems that we have gotten out just in time.

Posted under Close to Home on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 9:59

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