Oaktown blues
January 26, 2010Jon Brooks 1 Comment »
Oakland, California sits right across the Bay from San Francisco. The city has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state at an official 16.3% and, by some accounts, sits at No. 3 in the entire country in terms of crime. The murder rate per capita is 3.5 times the national average.
So it’s no surprise that some long-time residents are leaving. Spotted on Facebook:
Dear City of Oakland,
You probably haven’t even noticed I’ve left so I thought I’d write you this note. Even though I am glad to have moved on I also miss you, (my friend said this would happen). Life with you was not always bad though remembering the bad makes it easier to move on. I feel like I really tried to make it work but you are so stuck in your ways. To be honest, if you didn’t have so many guns I might have stuck around. But the guns, well, those scare me. And when you broke in my house while I was sleeping and stole my laptop with all my photos on it, well, that was messed up. I never really forgave you for that, even though I sort of understand why stuff like that happens sometimes. In the beginning I thought I could change you, silly, I know. But then I realized I just didn’t feel like working that hard, so I guess this is partially my fault.
I think you knew I would leave someday, didn’t you. You saw white flight written all over my face when I moved in, even as I was signing a 30 year mortgage. I wish things were different, but truth is I had to do what’s best for me. So I guess you were right cause now I’ve moved on.
Things are different here, or maybe I should say they are more the same, which I guess I was looking for in a way, but didn’t want to admit. Believe me I’m not proud about this, I just want to be honest.
Well, I just needed to let you know you will always have a special place in my heart. Please look out for my friends across the street, the ones from Yemen, and all of their 7 children. I don’t think I’ll meet anyone like them here. And watch out for all the rest of your kids too, I wish I could have done more for them. I really hope I will someday, you know, once some time has passed and we can be friends again.
Ok , well, that’s all I needed to say, I wish you all the best, really.
Be safe.
Love, Janis
January 26th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I also just moved out of Oakland . . . after 10 years, 1 car theft, 4 house break-ins and one mugging at gun-point (in the middle of the day, in front of my house) . . . I loved Oakland and tried really hard to make it work, but eventually I was frightened all the time. And that’s no way to live.