People We Don't Know Doing Nutty Things In Adams Point

This information came from our Yahoo! Message Board and it's well worth reporting. It seems that there's a lot of criminal or just plain annoying activity of late, and to counter all the fun things to do around here.

This came from concerned residents. All of these incidents occured last Friday:

1) Last night at 4 a.m., at the corner of Bellevue and Van Buren, the black Acura-styled 2-door that was in
the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago returned to again spin numerous doughnuts in the intersection. It
has no license plate on back, and there are large white numerals on the right-front windshield. I'm pretty sure the numbers are "211." We called the non-emergency line, where someone picked up right away.

When that car was last identified here in Adams Point, it seemed to match the description of a car that had been seen elsewhere in conjunction with other crimes. And even if it's not the same car, it's been through our area at least twice now, bringing its own little sideshow. Haven't been able to ID the drivers; the car might have blackout windows.

2) On Thursday night/early Friday at 4:30 a.m., a car was broken into on Bellevue, just below Van Buren. A
couple of neighbors witnessed various stages of the crime and called 911. The police came quickly, and an individual was apprehended, though there seemed to be several people involved in the incident.

been told by three individuals of three events that happened last friday night.

1) Assault on Van Buren: woman coming home late at night was almost to the door of the apartment (btwn Staten and Perkins) when someone grabbed her and dragged her into the bushes. She was visiting her father and we'll share more info as it comes available. The police came to the scene.

2)Burglery attempt on Bellevue: A man (description to follow) tried to pry open the window of the bedroom of an apartment building, the couple screamed and yelled to scare off the intruder. The intruder was on a balcony and tried to open a door ( I don't know how he escaped) The police came to the scene.

3) Four vehicles in parking garage on Bellevue were broken into, this is a secure and locked garage.

Let us stay aware and remind your neighbors to keep an eye out.

Oakland Sting Captures 15-Year Old Prostitute

The only thing the Oakland Tribune seems really good at covering are the police blotters and sports. Here's the police end. It's clear something must be done about this...like better jobs opportunities for parents and better schools and more community centers. Simple solutions.

Sex biz sees troubling teen trend
Conference will address local exploitation and trafficking issues
By Harry Harris, STAFF WRITER, OAKLAND TRIBUNE, TUESDAY APRIL 25th

OAKLAND — In a sting operation last week, Oakland police arrested more than a dozen prostitutes, including one who was just 15. In similar enforcement efforts, those arrested have been even younger.

In what has become a disturbing trend in Alameda County and other areas, the number of underage prostitutes — or sexually exploited minors, as law enforcement officials call them — is growing, while the girls themselves are getting younger, authorities say.
"It's been a terrible problem for five or six years, and it's getting worse," said police Lt. Kevin Wiley. "We have to change the way we do things. We just can't arrest everyone."

To increase awareness about the problem and offer solutions, law enforcement representatives, elected officials, social workers, youth advocates and teenagers will hold a conference Wednesday and Thursday.

A law enforcement panel will discuss local and regional trends in exploitation and trafficking. Another topic that should generate high attendance is "Youth Culture and Trends," in which panelists will discuss sexual exploitation and what to do about it. Other workshops are titled "Pimp vs. boyfriend" and "How do you know when you're being recruited."

A main conference organizer is Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Sharmin Eshraghi Bock, who coordinates the office's response to human trafficking. She is a driving force behind the formation of the county's Sexually Exploited Minor Network.
"We hope to educate the community, law enforcement and anyone else involved in teen prostitution about the nature and seriousness of the problem in an effort to put an end to it," she said.

She said the number of teenage prostitutes is increasing for several reasons, among them cell phones, the Internet and the "glorification of pimping by the entertainment industry."

In reality, being a young prostitute working for a brutal pimp is nothing like what movies and videos portray, authorities say.
"We are seeing increasing numbers of younger children on the street who are being recruited via guerrilla tactics," Bock said. "They are being grabbed off the street, kidnapped and raped, and then put to work."

She said it is still common thinking by those who see the girls or read about them in the paper "that they are doing it voluntarily."

"But they don't appreciate how violent the inception of street life is for the girls, and many of them are children robbed of a childhood."

Police and social workers have found a "common denominator" in child prostitutes, she said. "They don't know what love looks like, what it feels like or what it means to be loved.

"We teach math, science and English in our schools, but many of these children don't have a reference point for love. So when the pimp gives them some pretty clothes, a hot meal, a cell phone and some attention, they think that's love."

The free conference runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Alameda County Conference Center, 125 12th St. For more information, call 618-3458.