Surging Crime in California City Impacting Residents, Reaching ‘State of Emergency’

The recent crime wave in a Northern California city is reaching a “state of emergency,” in which long-time residents no longer feel safe even at home. Locals and NAACP blame the surge in crime on failed leadership and the defunding police movement.

A looter robs a Target store in Oakland, Calif., on May 30, 2020. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Rising incidents of crime in Oakland, California, are affecting quality of life, causing some to flee, and leading to calls by some community associations for more law enforcement amid a wave of violence.

While down slightly year-over-year, homicides have jumped 40 percent since 2019, with Oakland police reporting that every other category of crime shows an increase compared to last year and since before the pandemic.