This may be the most salient criticism yet of Mayor Jean Quan’s largely ridiculed efforts thus far to do something about Oakland’s soaring crime problems: Her neighbors a block away from where she lives in the Oakland hills have banned together to hire private security to patrol their streets during daytime, when most burglaries take place. One of them tells the Chronicle’s Chip Johnson:
"I have two kids who go to Oakland public schools, and we love it here. I don't want to move to Lafayette, but given that Oakland police cannot defend us, we couldn't just sit there anymore and do nothing."