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The Quick-Trigger "Solutions" To Oakland's Violence Problem Because The Issue Is So Serious, More Serious Thought, Discussion, And Debate Is In Order Will Murals Save Oakland From Graffiti? Local Aerosol Artists Think Murals Are The Solution To Oakland's Exploding Graffiti Problem; I'm Not So Sure SEND ME AN EMAIL (to safero@earthlink.net)
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THE QUICK-TRIGGER "SOLUTIONS" TO OAKLAND'S VIOLENCE PROBLEM
There is a depressing predictability to the calls for “something must be done” about violence in Oakland. Some horrific new event will trigger it. Multiple murders over a short period of time. The shooting death of a young child. The numbers of murders reaching the century mark in a single year. Oakland will suddenly, once more, turn attention to the culture of violence in our city, grow outraged, and demand immediate action. Vigils and meetings will be held. City and police officials will propose new solutions or polish off underused or discarded ones, which columnists and editorial writers will immediately either champion or criticize, with equal volume and vehemence. The magic cure offered most often is “more police,” although sometimes the actual number of officers needed to solve Oakland’s violence problem is set out in specifics. During the first years of the Ron Dellums mayoral administration, the number of needed police was put at 800, which was the full complement authorized at that time under our violence prevention Measure Y. When Mr. Dellums and then-Chief Wayne Tucker bent the Measure Y rules a bit to get the police allotment to that number, however, many in the public bumped the needed number immediately up to 1,000 and more. Presumably, for some people in Oakland, we will never have enough police. [More...]
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