1st Annual NYE progressive dinner

Hi Lake Neighbors! Amazing night last night -- Betsy and Nico engineered a really FUN night for us. Here are some photos if anyone wants them. Patrick from 17y came to the event after being invited that same day -- we just finally made the connection with that group and he took these.

Happy New Year & Happy New Decade!

Let's all give so much so our neighborhood grows more and more into a great place to be and to live. SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT MEETING THIS SUNDAY January 3rd! (5pm Potluck @ 1704 3rd Ave right across from Lucky's.)

Much Love & Friendship!
Sasha

MTG: 12-22-09

Hi Lake Neighbors!

The meeting was interesting – with some of the new mix we got pulled into a few different unexpected tracks, but most felt it was productive. Thank you to PSO Officer Scott Hewitt, Lieutenant Ersie Joyner, City Councilmember Pat Kernighan, City Organizer Hoang Bahn for coming on a Saturday morning to our meeting. Come anytime to any of our meetings, you are always welcome. We did walk away Saturday with some additional strategies to add to our growing pile. A concise list follows under the “immediate safety issue” category below.

The simultaneous three pronged approach is still our deal: 1) IMMEDIATE SAFETY ISSUE, 2) STRONG ONGOING POSITIVE EVENTS, 3) HEALING THE CAUSE INSTEAD OF TREATING THE SYMPTOM BY CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE BEING CAUGHT IF POSSIBLE.



This particular newer group mugging people here unfortunately has a effective strategy, they make hits all at once all over w/a driver, they sometimes fan out on a street and always wear black hoodies (remember not all black hoodies mean a threat…we all probably have one, but our assessment skills are good). They target anyone – mostly elderly and even an entire family (searched the kids, too)…we go into the safety issue first…



1) IMMEDIATE SAFETY ISSUE:

* Use Whistle instead of yelling for help because it is more recognizable (OPD knows this)

* Tell all neighbors when you hear a whistle it means distress/need of help

* Start Night hikes with groups of 4 or more (healthy to walk and is meant to be fun and vigilant)

* Get walkie-talkies on your block (we use ch. 9)

* Meet your Neighbors on your block minimum (beyond is great)

* Eye contact and greet everyone around

* Offer bathroom stops for people working here to help us – Guardian Angels are around

* Approach, introduce and meet the police that are in our neighborhoods.

* Look at all cars around you when you are out – make sure they are empty

* Multiple males in black hoodies are the recent group – so be awake and aware.

* Walkie talkie noise is somewhat of a deterrent when you are out

* Sometimes saying what is up/hi is going to make you not selected for a crime…walking with fear or

distracted is more likely to attract a problem

* When calling dispatch say you’re calling about the series of robberies (it is prioritized)

* Call someone, leave line open & tell your location, if you are out & being approached (they can call,

and a robbery in process is prioritized)

* If robbed, cooperate fully – your stuff is not worth the risk.

* If robbed, leave your cards and cell active long enough for OPD to track them

* If robbed, take as much in visually as you can to recall later to OPD

* Get cell #’s of your own block neighbors (put in ph as “NBR Lateef” etc.)

* “Phone tree” w/ your block to call incidents in – higher priority with more calls in

* Cover tagging right away every time

* If something is happening & dispatch may be slow or no, call 3 neighbors and decide what

to do together (min of 3)

* When calling OPD emergency dispatch (510 777-3211) if you give your name, this up’s priority

* Email Captain Orozco & Ofcr Hewitt immediately on incidences after calling it in (they

have blackberries & it goes right away) ROrozco@oaklandnet.com, shewitt@oaklandnet.com

* CALL CALL CALL in everything – it may add to something later, it will be noted one way or other

response at times is immediate, and at times not at all – but do it anyway.

* Use luggage tag on your keys for id/bank card and don’t carry purse/bag when possible

* We will invite lead for city ofc in charge of streetlights to correct our situation of dim/no lighting

* We asked to be made a “project” by patrols so they can work continuously on our issue





OTHER News/Updates given at meeting: In the past 4 weeks OPD increased “robbery suppression” work and they have 3 wolf pack members in jail now, 19 people were arrested in the last few weeks (11 for robbery, 8 for weapons).



Hoang Bahn has a modified Neighborhood Watch in the works – we may use that if it certifies us.



Sean is looking into organizing great design/art on the always tagged PG&E boxes (Pat Kernighan is looking into that for him).



We want to find some Lake Neighbors to go to other neighborhood meetings to connect us all up more. Maybe Hoang can help make this easier.



There are currently no set hours at OPD’s auxillary office at Lucky’s (people were wondering).



WHAT WE WANT FROM THE OPD:

1) Better consistency of fast response for dangerous incidents that are called in

(ie: burglaries in process, suspects in this recent wave seen in action, etc.).

2) Follow up and responsiveness to our burglaries/robberies when we call to find out.

3) OPD increase use of Lucky’s Auxillary office (we can help you have internet to helpt this)

4) Please ask your officers to meet us. Reach out and make the effort.

5) Please inform us about the latest arrests and changes in our area.

Questions: Is OPD checking ATM camera’s for the stolen ATM cards that are being used after muggings? What do you advise when we see a spread out group of males in black hoodies walking the entire width/span of the street/sidewalk on a street? Can we have the regular beat officers (not just the PSO’s) come out of their cars so we can see them – we see them, but in motion in vehicles.



3) STRONG POSITIVE EVENTS…

We have many going. We have a continuous flow of great art exhibits and gigs and goings on in many different forms. We have the outdoor movies. We tried a recent new thing “happy hour” at one persons front steps so we meet people walking by, also and that was a big hit. People have hosted parties at their homes (BBQ’s, pie party, a word fast party, someone put together a guerilla cake fight that actually got rained out – but the ideas are boundless – be creative or be basic – anything is great). We have many ideas to grow and we need to have many people take this on and spread the active part.



2) HEALING THE CAUSE:

We have a varied range of great and talented and good hearted people who are long standing members of this group who a great deal of experience working with youth and adults who have gotten into some really dangerous places and we want to work hard to meet them and get to know them and they get to know us. Lately we have had several new people attending that are expressing great interested in that approach. We must do that, we all agree – that is one of the prongs in our 3 pronged approach. We are pursuing this by approaching 2 programs in particular and also the DA’s office. We can seek being a part of restitution for people (youth and adults) arrested for crimes in this area – we want to have a sit down with people 1 at a time…the DA’s office is one place to seek this out. Suzanne B is going to contact one of the agencies, I will contact the other 2. Anyone who wants to spearhead this particular direction, please step up!

LMBA Annual Holiday Party

You Are Cordially Invited To
“Lake Merritt”
Business Association’s
Please join us with Oakland City Officials,

OPD Officers, merchants, neighbors for food, drinks, prizes, music at our

Annual Holiday Event

Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Place: Woody’s Café, 1841 Park Blvd.

To RSVP, please contact LMBA President, Steve Ma
Cell Phone: 510-455-6374 or Email: steviewoodys@sbcglobal.net

The LMBA organizes merchants, business & professional people and other interested members of the nearby community to advance the economic welfare of businesses within & nearby the Lake Merritt Parkway District, to improve the environmental conditions within it and to serve the interests of its membership.

OPD Communications

Captain Orozco,

Thank you for copying me on your response to Richard Berman's letter and Sean Henry's break-in and for your
fast response to this.

I know the crime is down statistically, but living here it just does not feel like it. We want to do what we
can on our end to work in concert with everyone to bring the rates down even lower because honestly
before this recent spike we had it was still a regular burglary we heard of in a home of a neighbor and tagging
constantly and car break ins and then all the drunken or lewd behaviors we see all the time -- almost daily
on our porches, etc.

We SO MUCH appreciate the OPD -- they are very nice to us and they really do care
about our needs. Out of our own family's interactions with the OPD only one was negative (an officer that came
by earlier in the year when our house was burglarized -- the responding officers were great, but when we called
to follow up the officer that came by was not interested at all in the evidence we had -- phone records
of a phone stolen from our house that time -- and my husband was basically told in so many words that
"well, what do you expect, you live in Oakland" -- which was really shocking to us. We had a more success
finding out some of what happened from people on the street who looked into it.

Dispatch is really mixed -- some of the people answering are very great and helpful and are answered by
people who really show that they care about the call/need -- and at the same time our calls are often
are met with rudeness. With our break in when I asked the emergency dispatch to please hurry because my
husband went into the house she snapped at me and lectured that "there is no HURRY" -- like I was
not allowed to say that -- I explained that my husband ran into the house and I did not know if anyone was still
in there which seemed to get her to be no longer rude with me -- I was genuinely afraid for my
husband's safety and there was very little sensitivity to this. We get response times that vary so greatly we never
know what will happen. Sometimes very fast, sometimes a few hours, sometimes none at all.

Please focus on this aspect with us, because telling us the stats are lower just makes us feel helpless --
the improvement is vital, but it still feels very unsafe at the current improved rate. We are not ever trying to be "trouble"
or a negative voice -- we are all good, hard working people who are very community minded and we do
appreciate the hard work that is very real that the OPD does. We care about their safety, also.

We would really appreciate close involvement in getting our neighborhood to the level of safety that we all
need and I am sure you would personally want in your own neighborhood -- I don't know if you live, here,
but if you do, then you understand.

We welcome you and the OPD officers to all our meetings. Our next one is Sunday January 3rd at 5pm.

Sasha Esposito (a Lake Neighbor)





On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 10:07 AM, Orozco, Ricardo wrote:

Mr. Henry & Berman:



I received an e-mail from Chief Batts regarding a recent burglary that occurred at Mr. Henry’s residence. I am looking in to the matter and researching why it took us so long to respond.



I am the Area Commander for Area 2, which is Central Oakland from Lake Merritt to High Street. As the Captain responsible for the Area, I can assure you that I manage my resources equitably and with the highest regard for the entire area. Based on our work so far this year I am pleased to report that Robberies are down 26%, Shooting are down 42% and Residential Burglaries are down 4%.



My staff and I will continue to provide the best/quality service you demand. I will reply once I have the information regarding the call and if you have any questions please feel free to call me.



Sincerely,



Ricardo E. Orozco

Captain of Police

Oakland Police Department

Area 2 - Bureau of Field Operations

(510) 238-3351 - office

MTG: 12-09-09: Guardian Angels Guest Speaker

Hi Lake Neighbors!

First…mark down OUR NEXT MEETING ON A SUNDAY (we are going to rotate Tuesdays and Sundays so more people can make it more often)…January 3rd at Hector and Sasha’s house (1704 3rd Ave., right on the corner of 3rd Ave & E. 17th Street). 5pm…Potluck! Please let me know if you want your home to be next to host a meeting (a few of you have already – thank you)!

We had a great meeting last night with our guest Guardian Angel Oakland Chapter Leader (and also Coordinator for Northern CA) Christina Fernandez. Thank you for the strong turnout.

Christina talked with us about the Angels and also about general safety – and she let us know that now they are going back on patrol (less events that are in need of security this time of year) that since we have called and have the need that they are going to patrol our neighborhood!

The Guardian Angels keep a varied route and so you will see them all over – make sure to offer them your support and hospitality if needed. Say hi – see if they have any needs (ie: water, restroom, coffee, an apple…). They carry no weapons, but they do have bullet proof vests and a lot of training. You can tell it is them by their uniform of black cargo pants, boots, white shirt with Guardian Angels on it, red jacket and beret. They work after hours generally (because they are all volunteer – all have a varied range of “day jobs”) and are always in a group of minimum 4 angels. They don’t use their given names and have working nicknames. Christina said that they have an excellent relationship with the OPD and will work to de-escalate situations.

One big point made as a group is that we would RATHER treat the cause of all this crime stuff in a strong positive way – and we will keep doing that better and better – but that we must also meet it at a “symptom treating” level very strong as well.

Safety measures we are taking on as a neighborhood and we ask that everyone work to get everyone else around us on the same page…

1) Know your neighbors & their friends/family– go meet them, invite them to meetings or have dinner or a BBQ, bring them something…

2) Say hi to everyone in a confident and very present way – you are paying attention to who is in your neighborhood and you are still being friendly and aware at the same time. It is a message either way.

3) Have a whistle on your keychain (I have some to give out at our next meeting)

4) Blow a whistle instead of yelling if you can if help is needed (strong extended blasts)

5) If you have no whistle, yell to call 911 – it’s is more effective then a general scream an it tells what you need someone to do

6) Get sensitized to responding to a whistle if one is heard – that is our signal as a group, or community that you are needed.

7) Walkie talkies are not only heck of convenient – they are a deterrent and make you less of a desirable target because of the noise they make – it sounds like an undercover cop or a neighborhood patrol

8) Don’t carry a purse or bag whenever possible – Christina suggested carrying a luggage tag on your keychain (she does) for your id or any small atm card you need for the moment, etc.

9) Call Call Call for all weird stuff you see – the OPD’s emergency # is 510 777-3211 (put that on your cell phone so you can call fast because 911 won’t work on a cell).

10) Don’t walk around on the cell phone – it impairs your hearing behind you so you can be snuck up on from behind and it usually means you are distracted from your environment and are a better “target”

11) Paint over your tags that happen on your homes – in case it is gang related – which it is not a lot of the time, but to keep things as clear as possible, don’t let your home (or car!) be a place for gang territory markings.

12) Introduce yourself and get to know any Oakland Police assigned here. They are people that we need to know and who need to get a sense of us, also.

13) To help deter home burglaries…Have motion sensor lighting, and also an option are cameras – even one that does not record still can put off a person considering where to break in and it can give you a view outside from inside. Double bolts are good, too, she said.

14) Windows – one neighbor found that there is a security film that can be put on windows instead of having bars put up and it seems like pretty amazing stuff that is worth looking into. 3M makes some and I am calling to see if they give group discounts! I’ll let you know what I hear – I don’t have a price at all yet, so it may be very expensive.

15) I am adding this one sorta spontaneously…even though we have the Guardian Angels here, maybe we can even go out in groups of 4 or more for fast night hikes where we are out of our houses and aware… going for walks at night in small groups in your own neighborhood is a way of creating a positive vibe all around and it increases safety for everyone…right?

Someone noted the website for tracking (reported) crimes in the area, which is: http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/crimewatch/

There was some discussion about carrying weapons – but that is a very personal decision and you MUST know what you are doing with whatever you choose if you choose one! Don’t carry something you don’t know how to use and don’t feel confident using or it will be used on you! Christina mentioned that even a trial size of Lysol or hairspray can be a safe “weapon” to carry because sprayed in the eyes it is not comfortable.

Okay, that is mostly it for the moment! Please keep in touch with us and everyone and let’s completely change the climate here in terms of crime and make it a safe place to be for everyone.

MUCH Friendship & see you all around a lot!

Sasha