(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Highlighting America’s dramatic increase in crime rates, a construction crew in Oakland, California, stopped filling potholes on a rough residential street because they felt unsafe in the high-crime area.
A resident told local news station KRON4 after calling the project manager that the crew left halfway through the job and never came back due to safety concerns.
“I called and the engineer with the City of Oakland said that contractor pulled out because the crews didn’t feel safe,” resident Shari Angarano said.
The construction project began after the neighborhood received letters from the city in March stating that the damaged road would be repaved.
“They put signs up, did some work,” she said, adding that the workers were supposed to return in May to finish the project. “The signage on the street barriers indicated that the crew would be back on 5/15-5/16 to complete the work.”
The Oakland Department of Transportation told the local outlet that the project will resume this week and is expected to be finished sometime this month.
In addition, crime has surged in Oakland and across much of California in recent years but seems to be decreasing.
According to the Oakland Police Department, Oakland saw violent crime rise 21%, robbery increased 38%, and vehicle theft soared 45% from 2022 to 2023,
So far this year, these numbers have been declining. Oakland has seen 20% fewer homicides, 44% fewer commercial burglaries, and 60% fewer car break-ins between January and May compared to the same time last year.
Furthermore, the crime drop is partly due to Governor Gavin Newsom deploying 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland and the surrounding area in February to crack down on the rise in thefts and violence.
“As crime rates across California decrease — including right across the Bay in San Francisco — Oakland is seeing the opposite trend,” Newsom said in a statement.
“What’s happening in this beautiful city and surrounding area is alarming and unacceptable,” he added.
Meanwhile, California experienced a 6.1% increase in violent crimes and a 6.2% increase in property crimes from 2021 to 2024.
Copyright 2024, GoRealNewsNow.com