Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

The recent carjacking, robbery, and vicious assault upon a young woman, starting on Lenox Avenue near Lake Merritt and ending up in Leona Heights, was a sad and unacceptable event. Our hearts go out to the victim. Several days after the crime, two Oakland Police Department detectives looking for evidence were aided by a Leona Heights resident, who led them to a critical piece of evidence observed earlier while on a walk. The detectives indicated that this item could clinch the case against one of the attackers, who had been arrested and would be charged with the crime.

We decry the whole affair, but it does show that an alert and willing citizen can help the police make our system of law work so that, as in this case, the bad guy can be kept off the streets for some time.

This action by one person came just three weeks after a neighborhood in-home meeting with a representative of OPD's Home Alert organization. At the meeting, neighbors cited happenings on their streets and indicated a mix of OPD responses. People understand the police understaffing problem, but with the recent authorized increase of as many as 100 starting to be felt in the force, we have hopes that more patrols in our area and others will lead to a safer Oakland for all of us.