Oakland Warnings and Dangers

I lived on 12th at Peralta for about a year. Everyone in the neighborhood seemed pretty nice. A lot of hello's and how's it going from guys over 30, but the kids seemed a little out of control. The first day I moved in our neighbor gave me a heads up on the neighborhood. The breakdown was pretty much "Keep an eye out. There will be a shooting within a few days." It wasn't so much a warning of his involvement, as much as it's been a few days and nothing has happened. Something was due. There wasn't much of a warning on muggings or violence against me personally, just a warning that things happen. Although, He was part of the Rats and was a big dude so he probably didn't get messed with that often. The whole time I was there no one ever threatened me. I walked home from Downtown at night by myself a lot. No problem at all. I talked with a bunch of the neighborhood kids and they all said pretty much the same thing - "Just pay attention and don't get caught napping." For the most part the neighborhood was nice to live in. Cheap and close to Bart. It turned really quickly when summer hit. We had our street blocked off maybe once a month until the summer. When school let out things changed dramatically. There was a shooting almost every night. I saw young kids riding on bikes shooting at each other in broad daylight. It got seriously hectic quickly. I had an offer on a place in SF and took it. It was sad to leave but blood on your corner every morning was getting a little tough.
The rest of Oakland is really hit or miss. I got mad dogged more downtown than in my neighborhood. I was mugged at gunpoint in Rockridge, so you really can't say one area is safe. It's really rough out there, but so is SF. There were stabbings all the time right down the street from my place in the mission. We lived on the border of the Nortenos and Surenos territory so that caused some issues. My girlfriend lived up in the panhandle and we could hear gunshots most weeks. The bay area is no joke. I've lived in NY for years and never felt as threatened as out in the Bay. Kids just do stuff for no reason out there. It's the wild west.

if ur like me growing up in east oakland the hood im frm is brookfield and thoes are the only people i talk to and never had problems in any other hood cuz i dont go there...so yall should just stick to yall hood cuz when u go to someone else hood they feel disrespected cuz u aint frm there..so stick to yall hood

Are you a Segway adventurer? In my humble opinion, Segway of Oakland is not a good choice. I've done Segway tours in other cities, never saw anything like this. The tour leader had some very bad habits. One was to move out fast way ahead of the group and then play around on his own and wait for us to catch up. When stopped at an intersection he would rock backward about a foot before starting forward, almost hit a woman who was standing behind him. She really had to move fast to get out of his way. The tour circuit had broken glass, railroad tracks, splintered wooden piers, and very busy city streets. I'd say find another city for your adventure.

I am 46 y/o and I have lived in every part of Oakland, mainly West Oakland. If you are coming to visit Oakland, and not staying with friends or family, I strongly recommend staying in areas near downtown, Emeryville or nearby Downtown Berkeley.

Flying into Oakland airport can be cheaper than San Francisco, but do not stay in hotels near the airport unless you plan on renting a car. And plan to spend some money on the hotel. The good hotels will range from $75 or more. Anything less you run a chance on staying in hotel popular to drug addicts or the homeless.

As far as where you go and be safe. If you do a lot of shopping, go to Emeryville's Bay Street or San Francisco. If you want good night life, the downtown Oakland area (between 24th and 9th Streets along Braodway). However, do not go alone and definitely don't walk alone.

There is nothing in the East Oakland or West Oakland area for "out of towners" to see or do.

However, the Oakland Zoo can be fun for families, but don't take public transportation. Also

just don't walk in dark places at night, especially at liquor stores!
if you are a sureno FUNKTOWN should be safe for you or anything below 20th avenue
if you are a norteno 23-60's should be safe for you
if you are a blood 70's should be safe for you
if you are a border brother 80-100's should be safe for you.
if you are a drunk Paisa no place is safe for you, if is not gangbangers it's the 5'0 and Immigration
if you are white just stick to the hills, Jack London Square, and downtown, and nothing will happen to you
if you are arabian stick to the liquor store's, most are arabian
if you are asian, Funktown is your town & of course CHINATOWN
if you are mexican(or other latino's) LA CATORCE, or E' 14, especially Fruitvale
if you are black, WEST OAKLAND or the 70's
if you are a LATIN KING just dont come cuz there are no latin kings and you will get shot.
and if you are a tourist dont go to 94th ave, because there's shootings everyday and you might step in the warzone

alotta people already pretty much covered whats the deal in oakland, the only advice i can give is don't walk at night and what ever you do STAY THE HELL OUT OF EAST OAKLAND!!!!! I cannot stress this enough if ur a tourist their is absolutley no reason you to be there, thats where the real gritty stuff is, it's also highly advised to stay outta west oakland as well but that is for you to use at your own discrepancy

While I don’t really believe there are millions of families clamoring to come to Oakland on their vacations as a dream getaway, I do know many east bay tourists are pleasantly surprised when they discover all Oakland has to offer in the way of fun, food and culture.

Being that it’s the 8th largest city in the U.S., of course there is crime. But this is typically drug and gang oriented and condensed to specific neighborhoods. Still, I can’t really say that there is any completely safe neighborhood in Oakland, especially after dark. I’d stay away from Lake Merritt at after dark, avoid West Oakland (unless you have a friend who is familiar), and stay as far away from East Oakland as humanly possible.

My advice is to familiarize yourself with the grit of Oakland ahead of time (IE where NOT to be) in order to maximize your traveling experience, making it as pleasant as possible. My advice:

1. Simply drop OPD an email letting them know your visiting & ask for safety advice/places
to avoid. Trust me, they will get back to you!

2. Check out the Oakland crime watch web, which will show maps of crimes. You'll see a pattern right away and be better schooled.(http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/crimewatch/)

3. Best and smartest is to ask around- friends in the area, websites, groups, etc. Utilize the almighty Google!

IM FROM OAKLAND AND I BE IN LOWER BOTTOMS. I AINT GONNA SAY ITS NOT DANGEROUS BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU REALLY DONT HEAR SHOOTING LIKE THAT. I ONLY HEAR THEM EVERY 2ND BLUE MOON OR SOMETHING. WHEN THEY SHOOT IT AINT LIKE THEY COMMING FOR ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY. ITS LIKE A WAR TURF THING. MOST OF THE TIME WHEN THEY SHOOT NOBODY GET HIT WITH A BULLET. THE PEOPLE THAT WAS FROM OAKLAND DIED WAS IN OTHER CITYS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I BE IN OAKLAND ALL DAY AND THE ONLY DANGEROUS TIME IS AT NIGHT. THEY PICKED NIGHT BECAUSE OVIOUSLY THEY DONT WANT TO SHOOT THE WRONG PERSON AND EVERYBODY SHOULD BE AT HOME. BUT WHEN THE PEOPLE SAY AINT NOTHING GON HAPPEN TO ME AND STAY OUT AT NIGHT ALONE IN A DARK AREA OF COURSE YOU GONE DIE. REALLY IF YOU WEARING A BLACK HOODIE. OAKLAND IS A COOL AND BEAUTYFUL PLACE TO BE. A LOT OF HISTORY WENT ON DOWN THERE. THE ONLY THINTG I CAN SAY IS THE PEOPLE THAT MOVE THERE GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE GANF AND DONT CARE WHAT THEY KIDS DO. SO THEY KIDS GROW UP AND BE LIKE THAT. THATS HOW THAT STUFF HAPPEN. I BELIEVE ITS NOT ENOUGHT THINGS TO DO IN OAKLAND EXPECIALLY WERE IM FORM WEST OAKLAND.( LADARRIONCHAMP@YAHOO.COM) IF YOU WANT MORE INFO ABOUT OAKLAND. WEST OAKLAND IS THE BEST WELL NO THE BEST BUT OUT OF NORTH AND EAST OAKLAND PLACE TO BE.