Oakland Chinatown patrol group expands hours in response to recent break-ins and crime

By Dion Lim

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    OAKLAND, California (KGO) — Community members in Oakland’s Chinatown have banded together in recent days to come up with additional solutions to crime in the neighborhood.

Organizers hope the new plan of attack against break-ins will help keep the area safe while they continue to fight the pandemic of hate and xenophobia.

In just the past week, Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council president Stewart Chen says there have been car break-ins and thieves targeting multiple shops, including a kung-fu studio along 9th and Franklin and a yogurt shop not far away.

In response, the OCIC held an emergency meeting last week to discuss solutions. Thanks to city and OCIC funding, the Toishan Association patrol group, which already has walked the streets for more than 600 days since 2021 will now expand and patrol from the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. That’s when business leaders say most break-ins and crime occur.

Chen sends a strong message to criminals.

“I want to tell you and everyone who have cute ideas to come here in the middle of the night, think twice,” Chen said, as the Toisan Association group stands outside one of the vandalized businesses Saturday afternoon.

Chen says there are four patrol groups in the neighborhood who assist as the eyes and ears for Oakland Police, who have added eight additional overtime officers to the area. Joe Ma, President of the Toisan Association and OCIC Vice President, says the combined efforts are working.

The overnight patrols start on Christmas and will last for the next several months.

Chen hopes that with securing proper funding the program can continue indefinitely.

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