Opinion: Maybe Oakland Mayor Thao should ask for the National Guard

'We are in danger because of the brazen criminal element that runs rampant in our city.'

We live in fear. Our community is one of the “safer” neighborhoods in Oakland, but every day is a constant reminder that, even though we have exhausted all ways to try to make it safer, we are still in danger of losing property and life.

It doesn’t matter how many cameras we put up, how many additional lights we install, how many blow horns we buy or how vigilant we are. We are in danger because of the brazen criminal element that runs rampant in our city.

Without consequence, it’s never going to stop. We have great neighbors that look out for each other. We take out and put back our neighbors’ trash bins. We look out for our neighbors’ homes when they are on vacation. We watch their dogs and baby sit their kids, so love also runs rampant in our community.

But the love here is no match for the burglars, the thieves, the stalkers, the illegal dumpers. They show up at all hours of the day and night. They lurk in the darkness and hide behind ski masks during the day, knowing that they can get away with violating our property, our person, our rights. The police are too stretched. The criminals know it, which is why their brazen acts persist. There is little to no consequence to their actions.

Let us share some examples of what we’ve endured in the last two months. We hear rapid-fire gunshots almost every other day. One evening, a group of people broke into a home under construction and stole tools and materials. Without consequence, they came back the next day during the lunch hour to finish the job.

Another evening, thieves ransacked cars and even drilled holes on the sides of some to steal gasoline. When one was caught red-handed, he mockingly danced in front of the neighbors who caught him.

A recent lovely bright sunny day produced a couple of thieves who cased our block for hours before armed robbing a construction crew working on a house. One neighbor’s car was stolen twice, in 10 days. Another neighbor left for a few hours to run errands, only to come back to find her home burglarized. The culprits went through her backyard and removed the entire window frame to break in.

At the local grocery store, three people ran into the store and stole three of the cash registers. And there’s currently a self-professed stalker parked on one of the streets who refuses to leave even after being confronted by several neighbors.

There’s more, a whole lot more, too much to tell in one sitting. This is what it’s like to live in one of the “safer” communities in Oakland. We call the police and, if we are able to get through to report the activity, they might show up, long after the fact … if at all.

If all of these things are happening in one of the safest neighborhoods, imagine what it’s like in the not-so-safe ones. It is time to put aside the political posturing and do what is necessary to immediately make our neighborhoods safer.

Maybe it’s time to call Gov. Gavin Newson and ask him to send the National Guard. What it will take to make Oakland safe?

Hector Preciado, Naz Medlock and Martina Jones wrote this commentary on behalf of more than 20 households in their neighborhood near Redwood Heights and Merritt College.