OAKLAND — City officials, law enforcement and chamber of commerce representatives distributed whistles at a midday news conference Wednesday in hopes of heartening residents and rallying business owners against recent robberies and assaults.
Oakland’s Chinatown district, home to some of the city’s most vibrant restaurants and vulnerable senior citizens, has already been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to shuttered doors and campaigns to test and vaccinate residents.
Although police have declined to list specific crimes, this news organization found several with recent weeks with common characteristics for crimes of opportunity: use of waiting cars; snatching of cell phones, cash, backpacks or purses. In several cases, criminals simulated or showed weapons to deter pursuit, or left victims with injuries.
As victims of recent crimes came forward to call for improved response, police said they would work within limited budgets to ramp up visible presence around the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce president Carl Chan asked for walking patrol officers’ return to Chinatown, released funding for additional surveillance cameras and changes in street and garage parking to reflect changed shopping habits and limit parking tickets.
In remarks, Councilmember and council president Nikki Fortunato Bas tried to balance multiple communities’ crime-fighting needs as she acknowledged the recent spike in assaults and robberies.
“We may not be able to change things overnight but I think that keeping our communities healthy and safe is important, and I look forward to working with the Chinatown community with our mayor and city administrator,” Bas said in part.
After apologizing to crime victims, Mayor Libby Schaaf decried targeting of Asian merchants.
“You may recall that we were all here together at the beginning of this pandemic, recognizing that this community was impacted first and worst when COVID first arrived on American shores,” Schaaf said. “That racism that continues to plague our beloved community and our nation must stop.”
Schaaf then shared that she planned to announce the hiring of a new permanent police chief next week: “I believe that this leader will not only bring new energy and creativity to addressing the current crime challenges, but also be a national leader in the very work that Councilmember Bas referred to: reimagining public safety, bringing a more holistic and comprehensive approach to not just enforcing against crime, but creating the conditions of safety. That begins with trust.”
Citing budgetary constraints, Schaaf said walking patrols would not return soon but “we will bring extra resources to this community as appropriate, particularly during this time of year” and continue key shifts, such as reducing unbudgeted police overtime, suspending the school police unit and shifting resources in response to foot traffic and closed businesses.
A spokesman shared a statement from a victim who was attacked and shot with a flare gun Jan. 5, thanking police, first responders and Highland Hospital staff for their care, and adding that despite her wounds healing, she “still has symptoms of anxiety, dizziness, headaches memory loss, which, you know, very concerning to her.” A suspect in that assault and robbery was arrested within minutes, and charged within days.
In a robbery just last Friday, a suspect took two $100 bills from an 80-year-old woman in a store. When officers responded and reviewed store surveillance camera footage, they recognized the suspect and were able to detain and arrest a 22-year-old man two days later during a different attempted purse-snatch, according to Alameda County District Attorney charging documents obtained Wednesday.
Oakland police Capt. Bobby Hookfin, who handles the city’s area that includes the Chinatown neighborhood, said police have already begun to shift resources to respond to such crimes.
“I want to appeal to the victims out there that have not come forward,” Hookfin said.
“Even if you have little information, even if you cannot describe your assailant, please come forward. That little bit may help us solve a bigger crime. We have taken into custody several assailants. We need to work back to try to see if they’re connected to any additional robbers, not only here in Chinatown, but throughout the city.”
Another victim, Iona Chang, issued a call for others to step forward and unite to beat back crimes like the one she suffered late last month.
Chang said she had been walking down the street in the afternoon in a nearby neighborhood when three youths approached and attacked her.
“They dragged me to the ground. They punched me. I fought back with them but they managed to take my wallet, my phone, and my keys out of my pockets,” she said. “After that, I ran after them. They actually had been following me and had a parked car around the corner, which they jumped into.”
“I’m here to tell you what happened to me was awful,” Chang said. “I do not want this to happen to other Asian American women, or anyone else, and for all the other victims to please call the police and report this crime to stop this from happening. The Asian American community needs more support to stop these attacks from happening.”
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report. Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
