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A good friend of mine just sent an email to me because he explained his reasons for supporting De La Fuente, and believed my reasons were based only on race -- uh, that he's black and so am I. Well, I'm not going to shy away from that, but my reasons, as befits my character, are far more complex. Here's my response. Hi, It's not just a matter of race. I've worked closely with Ignacio. Too close. As a result, I have a perspective on him that few possess, even of those I know. Ignacio has wanted to be Mayor since 1997. And during this time, he's not worked to build coalitions of people at all. Indeed, he uses his power to try to get what he wants, and to punish his ememies. Period. That's his way. I've been in rooms where he always explains how he's gonna "do or get something -- or someone. I represented Mayor Harris-- and was at one point even more powerful than Ignacio in committee because I understood the rules and how to build coal...

This information was just posted on the 14X Yahoo Group. "A juvenile suspect is in custody and has admitted involvement in this terrible crime. Sgt. Paul Bernard was on patrol yesterday in West Oakland. He spotted avehicle matching the one stolen from the victim. Sgt. Bernard conducted a stop to investigate. This eventually led to the arrest of the suspect who was later interviewed by investigator. I am unable to give specific details but this is a significant arrest. I bring you this news with mix emotions due to the nature of this crime. However, the arrest will hopefully bring some peace of mind to the community. Thank you. Lt. Tracey"

This is from the "15X Yahoo Group." It reports the arrest of two men in the "23rd Avenue Corridor" which is not the Lake Merritt area, and more toward Central Oakland. Still, the Lake is just a walk, car drive, or bus ride away and in as little as five minutes. "On 13 Apr at approximately 8:30 pm, Officers Jones and Perrodin were patrolling the 23rd Ave corridor. They spotted Mr. Lonnel Moore and Albert Antone on E21st hanging out. The officers have extensive knowledge of the area (prior contacts / drug hotline) and decided to contact the two to see what they were up to. This ultimately led to the arrest of Mr. Moore who was in possession of a large quantity of narcotics. Another example of the good work by your CRT. It also highlights the importance of your involvement by calling that drug hotline. Congrats and another small win PSA 3! Lt. Ed Tracey" If you need help. This is the person to contact: Hoang Banh Neighborhood Services Coordinator Oakl...

Earlier, I reported on an Oakland Tribune article on the abduction of a woman on Lenox Avenue in Adama Point. Here's more information on that crime, again from Tribune wire reports and reported on the Adams Point Yahoo! Message Board. NEW: Woman robbed, raped in Oakland Hills FROM STAFF REPORTS OAKLAND - A 35-year-old woman was robbed Thursday night in Adams Point by two men who then abducted her at gunpoint, drove her car to the Oakland hills and raped her, police said. Investigators stopped a juvenile driving the woman's car in West Oakland Friday afternoon and interviewed him, police said. According to police, the woman was getting out of her car about 7:45 p.m. Thursday on Lenox Avenue when two men confronted her. Police would not say whether the woman lived in the area or was visiting someone. The men took various items from the woman, who then tried to walk away, police said. But the men pointed guns at her, demanded she get into her car with them and drove off. At one p...

Again, this is under the watch of two Oakland City Councilmembers who are running for Mayor: Ignacio De La Fuente and Nancy Nadel, who's our Adams Point (District Three) representative, but nothing's being done about it. City quietly reins in police force's mounted patrol Peggy Stinnett - Oakland Tribune Article Last Updated: 05/06/2006 05:09:27 AM PDT 'Oh, no, not again!" Those anguished words were exactly the ones in my mind when I read the small sign posted on the Oakland Police Department's mounted patrol stables on the shores of Lake Merritt, discreetly tucked behind Children's Fairyland. I read on: "Our Oakland leaders are once again trying to close our mounted units," the sign said. It was undated, so perhaps there was still time for the city to change its collective mind. But it had done the dastardly deed already. Last week, when I visited the old wooden shack where the stables used to be, they were oddly silent and padlocked. The chain...

This is from the Adams Point Yahoo! Message Board: Dear Neighbors, The Westlake Community Coalition (what we’re now calling ourselves) made some headway at the Whole Foods pedestrian/cyclist meeting with Council Member Nancy Nadel, CEDA Director Claudia Cappio and Public Works staff on Monday night. MANY THANKS to Nancy Nadel and her staff person Carletta Starks for calling the meeting, ensuring city staff were in attendance and for having already followed up on some commitments (see below). The City’s Pedestrian Coordinator Jason Patton deserves a BIG THANKS, too for identifying solutions to our concerns, rather than questioning whether they are valid. What did the City commit to? - signs directing people to I-580 via 27th rather than Harrison - right turn only out of Whole Foods - signal at Bay Place and Vernon, ped crossing to be timed for slower moving folks - some kind of traffic calming at Lee/Vernon intersection, funding is secured, commun...

From SF.Gate.com 05-05) 13:09 PDT OAKLAND - Oakland police are searching for at least two men who kidnapped a woman in her car in the Adams Point area near Lake Merritt, sexually assaulted her and stole her vehicle. The woman's car is a black, four-door 2001 Volkswagen Jetta, California license plate 4NIC969. Anyone who sees the vehicle should call 911, said Oakland Police Sgt. Blair Alexander. The woman was abducted Thursday at 7:45 p.m. on the 300 block of Lenox Avenue and released later in the night at an undisclosed location after she was assaulted and her property was taken, Alexander said. Police would release no further details about the incident. The Adams Point neighborhood is just west of Interstate 580, not far from the Grand Lake district where residents have complained of a recent upswing in crime, including a rash of car break-ins, holdups and muggings, and two fatal shootings in a six-week period.