When Crime Pays An Unwelcome Visit To Your Patch
Everyone hopes crime won’t come to their neck of the woods. For some Oakland inhabitants, and certainly Berkeley denizens, I think this (let’s face it) delusion extends to believing there is an invisible line beyond which gang warfare and gun-related crime won’t venture.
The recent spate of hold-ups in restaurants around Oakland, in the Grand Lake, Lake Merritt, San Antonio and Rockridge districts among others, caused an understandable flurry of consternation, as well as a certain disbelief. Could it be that just going out to eat on a summer evening now brought with it the fear of being held up at gun point?
A recent post by my Sweet Digs colleague Alison Ching on Tesmecal prompted an exchange of comments on the safety of that particular, up and coming neighborhood. Asher Hawke, who had lived in the area for several years, wrote: “Crimes in the Temescal proper are sky rocketing. Drive around and see the gang tagging… Don’t even think about crossing 40th or Telegraph unless you are prepared for crack houses and gun shots all night.” In contrast, Anon, who lived in exactly the spot Hawke was describing, responded that, although property crime was on the increase and one should take normal precautions at night, “I’d happily buy in Temescal right now.”
Whether a sudden rash of crime has an impact on the real-estate market is as difficult to judge as whether former Hillary Clinton supporters will switch their allegiance to a certain female governor of Alaska. There may be a short-term drop in sales as prospective buyers seek out what feel like safer neighborhoods — the flip side being that a slight dip in prices may attract a few punters who had previously considered the area too expensive.
The advice remains the same: check out the crime stats for wherever you are considering; look up archived news stories and talk to anyone you know who lives in the area or has friends who does; spend time in the neighborhood — take a walk around the streets in the daytime and in the evening. Don’t skimp on this research. It could be a life-saving investment.
Useful Sweet Digs posts on crime-related resources: here and here.
