The lid is barely being kept on in Oakland. Still lots of unemployment. No real welfare system for single people - just a crushing machine for grinding people into homelessness. Though it's possible they may have programs I don't know about to try to alleviate the crime rate, gang problems, prison parolees being dumped into Oakland's backyard etc. I really can't see how Oakland hasn't imploded already on their no-cash-for-necessities and we-punish-you-for-working-by-undermining-your-housing policy. Seriously - the insanity of that should have caused spontaneous revolution from Oakland's vast immiserated underclass already.
The racial tension and police issues (both lack of police and police profiling) are only icing on the case.
Fruitvale Station? Yes, that's in Oakland. The 500 feet surrounding it has now been cleaned up and redecorated with a nice walking mall and fountain. Minimum wage jobs are available there! I'm not sure what happens beyond that 500 feet. The last time I tried to take a peek at the area was around 1995 and I was the victim of some cat calls and a drive-by shooting. With a water uzi. But still it scared the heck out of me, and I've never tried to wander "out of bounds" in that area again.
Downtown Oakland looks literally like a million bucks has been invested in it. Recently. There are hanging flower baskets just like Berkeley. Everything looks clean, well lit, and fairly safe. There are advertisements for "luxury condos" that most of the people currently living in Oakland can't afford: so as those poor "welfare types" are displace - namely forced to move on by the failure to provision welfare - the rich tech overflow from San Francisco is expected to move in. Their taxes will pay for more flower baskets, not improved Social Services.
The white police officer over-reacted to the black fireman because the "meta-conversation" here is how to drive "the types we don't want" out of town.
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