Lacking police presence, Oakland residents take control of their streets

Kyung Jin Lee — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:57:38 +0000

A couple of years ago, Sonny Le and his five-year-old son were approaching their front gate in Oakland’s Glenview neighborhood after school when Le saw two men running towards them.

“One was trying to go behind us – the maneuver trying to corral your prey, basically,” he says. “The other one started coming right at me, at us. He put his hoodie on. It was like, OK, these kids gonna rob us.”

Neighborhood watches grow in Oakland

Emily Gadek — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:53:28 +0000

At around 10 o’clock on a brisk spring morning in Oakland Hills, Danny Cieloha and Esther Fong walk along Davenport Avenue wearing bright orange vests with a neighborhood watch logo and carrying cell phones, in case they need to snap a picture or call for help. They’re looking for “anything that's unusual,” says Fong.

“Things like young men out of their cars, walking the neighborhood,” adds Cieloha.