Residents of one of Oakland’s safest neighborhoods, Montclair, say they’re seeing the area changing for the worse.
“My neighbor came over and told me that three people had tried to steal my catalytic converter from the bottom of my Prius,” said a woman who asked not to be identified.
The woman told NBC Bay Area that her neighbor noticed the group Tuesday morning and tried to scare them off from inside her home.
“She said that she tried to dissuade them and put her two car alarms on to try to scare them away,” the woman said. “But they were determined. And they didn’t leave. In fact, they started throwing golf balls.
Then one of the thieves escalated. As the neighbor yelled at them, one of the thieves came over to her driveway to break her car’s side and back windows.
The woman said this is the second time a catalytic converter has been stolen off her Prius, even though it has extra protection meant to dissuade would-be thieves.
The woman plans to make some changes, but she said she wanted to see the city make some changes, too.
“I love Oakland,” she said. “It’s a blue collar neighborhood, kind of like Baltimore that I once knew, and I love it. But it’s so disheartening that I might have to leave because it’s just not safe here anymore.”
The owner of Montclair Auto Shop, Waleed Alsaidi, told NBC Bay Area they get calls about replacing stolen catalytic converters almost daily.
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“Almost every day,” he said. “I get, sometimes, two or three times from the same local neighborhood.”
Alsaidi said he wants new solutions from leaders.
“They should work it out,” he said. “And help the community stay and settle. Right now, all the community are afraid.”
