Business and community leaders in one Oakland neighborhood are pushing for greater police presence near a busy transit center in the wake of a string of crimes in the area.
Councilman Noel Gallo is one of the voices calling for greater safety in the Fruitvale district. The first of two public safety meetings is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday at the San Antonio Senior Center.
Data showing crime activity within a 1-mile radius of the Fruitvale BART station over the last four weeks shows nearly 300 reports of crime. Nearly a quarter of those represent 75 assaults reported. Those are the most serious crimes.
The most prominent crime was motor vehicle theft, representing more than 90 crimes.
Gallo, along with the Unity Council CEO Chris Iglesias already got Oakland police to designate a liason officer specifically for the Fruitvale district. And the Unity Council hired 24-hour armed security to patrol the area.
Now, community leaders are pushing for more creative solutions as crime has ticked up.
"But what we have been seeing for the past year and a half is an uptick in violence," Iglesias said. "So, as an organization, we had to do more and provide safety in transit. So now we have security guards that we never had before just to keep the temperature down. But that’s not our core business, that’s the role of government."
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People who work at the Fruitvale transit center, commute through there or live or go to school nearby are encouraged to attend the one of the public safety meetings.
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