Oakland, for as magnificent as it can be, is a hard place to be a cheerleader for. You want to root for it. You want people to know how great it can be. But then you witness nightly car break ins and a little bit of the bloom is off the rose.
It's not as if the Oakland PD doesn't know about the break-ins either. And the merchants along Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue know about it too. They've taped pictures on the parking meters telling people not to leave stuff in their cars, but people either tear those signs down or vandalize them. And people are just plain stupid and continue to leave stuff in their cars. I know the PD has a lot they're dealing with right now but isn't there a junior police (wo)man who can get some stakeout experience by watching out for these criminals?
It wouldn't be hard. THEY BREAK IN EVERY NIGHT. How do I know, you ask? Easy, I see it. I hear it. All the damn time. Every single night since we've been back from London someone has gotten their car broken into.
Tonight we heard the smash and it was louder than normal. Alan walked over to the window and watched the situation go down. A car pretty much below our window gets burgled, suspect drops contents from the vehicle into a green recycle bin behind the sushi restaurant, and then drives away in a VW SUV (possibly a Tourag). If this person is driving a Tourag - or even a Tiguan - they are not poor enough to justify stealing. This person is a straight up asshole thug and deserves to be thrown in jail. But that'll never happen and so this fair city continues to be plagued by bottomfeeders like this jackass with no end in sight.
Sometimes I long to live in the country.
(ETA: Last year at this time - in the middle of a week day - a dude tried to swipe my purse right off my arm while I was walking down a populated sidewalk. The criminals here are not shy. They know there are no repercussions for this behavior.)
