"All the neighborhood councils are essentially on their own. It was bad enough to reduce our ability to be effective with what we want to do for our neighborhood and for the lake, but to take that money away from neighborhoods that are struggling to survive on a daily basis - and dealing with child trafficking, gang shootouts, and sideshows - is a huge loss."
"That communication with the police department is really missed. Since the city and OPD made these changes, some neighborhood council chairs have taken it upon themselves to keep their communities safe without dedicated help from the city or OPD, applying for outside grants and leveraging help from their council members and police area captains."
"The results are mixed. Some neighborhood leaders say new sources of funding have helped. Others say not much has changed because the city never actually invested in community policing. Everyone seems to be scraping by, doing what they can in hopes that the funding situation will turn around in the next budget cycle."
Oakland eliminated its Neighborhood Services Division to address a $265 million budget deficit, leaving approximately 50 volunteer-run neighborhood councils without dedicated coordinators and community resource officers. Neighborhood leaders describe the impact as devastating, particularly for communities already struggling with safety issues including gang violence, child trafficking, and sideshows. The loss severed critical communication channels between neighborhoods and the police department. Some neighborhood council chairs have responded by seeking outside grants and leveraging relationships with police area captains, but results remain mixed. Many leaders report the city never adequately invested in community policing. Neighborhood officials continue operating with limited resources, hoping for budget improvements in future cycles, though most express limited optimism about significant changes.
Read at The Oaklandside
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