We Can Have Peaceful Neighborhoods

Oakland can be a great city – but communities and businesses need peace to flourish. Today, though, our lives are disrupted by everything from "boom cars" to robberies at gunpoint. Oakland's reputation is a national disgrace. It's time to reclaim our neighborhoods and open the way to a peaceful, prosperous city.

Oakland has half the police officers (only 18 per 10,000 residents) that Atlanta (35), Boston (34), Cleveland (34), St. Louis (39) and most major cities have. Fewer than San Francisco. Fewer than Los Angeles. We need at least 1,100 officers, up from the 700 or so we have today. We need real police presence on our streets. Available when we call for help. Investigating. Working on problem spots.

Let's make peaceful neighborhoods top priority, and let's get city government back to basic services like trimming the trees and repairing the streets. The budget has the money; but we must spend it for urgent needs, not political pork.

	Charles Pine will appear at a candidate forum sponsored by the Manzanita Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council.       Monday, May 19, 7 p.m.     Salvation Army     2794 Garden Street   Hear his program, ask questions, introduce yourself after.

You have two city council representatives, one for your district and one "at-large" for all of Oakland. I'm running for the at-large seat in the June 3, 2008 election. Shouldn't at least one of your representatives be an advocate for peaceful neighborhoods, basic services, and clean government?

I'm an activist who has changed public opinion in Oakland (and helped defeat two unwise tax measures), someone willing to state the truth and focus on the key link for making things better. The other candidates offer platitudes but no program for peaceful neighborhoods or much else. They have proved their loyalty to politics-as-usual in Oakland.

I've lived in the Allendale district for more than 20 years, active in neighborhood beautification and crime prevention. Three years ago I co-founded Oakland Residents for Peaceful Neighborhoods. I am a grassroots candidate, part of the citywide movement of residents who know we must turn City Hall around in order to reclaim Oakland for peace and progress.

Please use the links at the left to join our movement. The time is now!