Crime

OP-ED: The Sister Epidemic

Published

10 years ago

June 10, 2014

By Courtney Thomas, student at Laney College

Oakland has become a very dangerous place to live. There are shootings happening every day, and every time you turn around someone is getting killed. Although I have lived in Oakland for 21 years, I’ve never seen a dead body but I have seen guns and drugs all my life.

< p class=”p3″>I am a sister of an older brother that is in the street life – that’s my reality. My brother lets me know things that I need to know – or like he says, he “puts me up on game” — so I can be aware of the things going on and keep myself safe. We’ve developed a relationship that is unbreakable. My brother is my best friend — I tell him everything and he does the same. But I am always dreading a knock on the door where I could be told that my brother has been killed.

The epidemic of gun violence directly affects the women in our community. As women, we have to worry about our fathers, sons, cousins, nephews, and in my case, my brother, being gunned down. People don’t understand that we are the ones that hurt the most because of the loss.

Here in Oakland, people take revenge on friends and loved ones when someone kills someone that they know. Naturally, I’m afraid whenever he leaves the house. I hear a knock on the door and I hesitate to answer — thinking that someone is going to give me the worst news of my life.

On August 16, 2013 I had to experience the pain and hurt of losing someone that was very close to me. He was shot down in Sobrante Park. This event took a toll on me and I began to worry about my brother more because he was really close to the man gunned down in the park.

Shortly after, there was a shooting on 104^th and International. I woke up to a phone call from my friend asking me what happened and I was confused when the person began to tell me about the event. The first thing I did was go to look for my brother. I didn’t care about anyone else; I just wanted to make sure my brother was okay. My heart was beating so fast it was crazy. When I found out that he was okay, my heart was at peace.

However, April 24, 2014 might have been the saddest day of all. My brother got a phone call from his dad to go check on our cousin but when he got over there, police were surrounding the area. Eventually we found out it was because my cousin was laying dead in her car – she had been shot in the head.

The gun violence needs to stop in Oakland. It’s only getting worse. I sit and worry about my younger siblings, especially my little brother who is 14 and getting ready to start high school – the place where the violence is starting.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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California Black Media

Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Published

7 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman speaks as Asm. James Ramos (D-San Bernardino), left, stands beside him at a news conference in Sacramento concerning retail theft across the state.

By California Black Media

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.

Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.

“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.

Ramos said the need to act is urgent.

“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.

Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.

According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.

In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.

“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.

“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.

AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.