Oct 4: Melrose Call to Action for a Letter Writing Campaign for Safety on Foothill Blvd

Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, City Council Member Chambers & Office of the Mayor, Oakland, CA 94162
Sent to: 1) Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland; 2) Department of Transportation Director Ryan Russo rrusso@oaklandca.gov; 3) Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, akirkpatrick@oaklandca.gov; 4) District 4 Council Member Sheng Thao, sthao@oaklandca.gov; 5) District 5 Council Member Noel Gallo, NGallo@oaklandca.gov; 6) District 6 Council Member Loren Taylor, LTaylor@oaklandca.gov; and 7) At Large Council Member Rebecca Kaplan rkaplan@oaklandca.gov

October 4, 2019

Attention Those with Power to Act,

My name is Stephanie Hayden and I’m a constituent, business owner, registered voter, and Chair of the Melrose Community Council living in the Melrose neighborhood of Oakland, CA Zip Code 94601.

As you are aware, extensive data prove Zip Code determines life expectancy in Oakland.

Central East Oakland has long-suffered social and economic inequities, lack of financial and infrastructure investment, and lack of municipal protections demonstrating respect for life outcomes in our neighborhood.

I’m writing today, specifically, to express my heartfelt grief for our four Melrose and Fruitvale neighbors who’ve died over the last 6 months killed by hit-and-run drivers on Foothill Blvd. This did not have to happen. I ask the City of Oakland to bring justice and safety for the victims and families impacted by these crimes. I also want the families to know we’re organizing and unified in protecting each other to solve the dangerous situations that created their tragedies.

I’m writing to demand measurable action be taken to protect the people of Melrose, now. The red dots on this map represent four people killed by hit-and-run drivers on Foothill Blvd in the last 6 months.

·        April 14, 2019: Six months ago, Alma Vasquez and her 6-year old son Angel Garcia were both killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street at 26th and Foothill Blvd. It took 5 months to catch the driver.

·        Sept. 17, 2019: Two weeks ago, James Brown was killed by a hit-and-run driver while he was crossing the street at Cole Street and Foothill Blvd. The driver has not been caught.

·        Oct. 1, 2019: Two days ago, an unnamed mother was killed, and her 4-year old girl hospitalized by a hit-and-run driver while they were crossing the street at 22nd and Foothill. The driver has not been caught.

The Problem

Some think it’s because freeway traffic is so bad over the last 3 years people use surface and residential streets as freeways now, or it’s the AC Transit BRT construction on the International Blvd arterial roadway that’s diverting angry drivers into school zones and front yards, or rampant drag racing squeezing people into death trap scenarios.  All of these are probably part of it, but it is not the responsibility of Melrose community members to fix intersections they did not create – it is the Public Sector’s responsibility to not allow this many transportation-related, life-threatening, hazards build up in a few neighborhoods. It is the Public Sector’s role to fix high-collision areas that frequently end in constituent deaths.

Here’s an article from 2011 discussing what would happen if International Blvd were shut down and that traffic rerouted into surrounding neighborhoods and streets, naming Foothill Blvd: https://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/05/26/dangerous-street-designs-threaten-oaklands-communities-of-color-seniors/

The Solution

·        Fast track the Melrose Street Scape project, budgeted 10 years ago and re-budgeted again in 2019-2021, to calm traffic on Foothill and Bancroft Boulevards - breaking ground by Dec. 1, 2019

·        Protect Melrose community members now by patrolling our perimeter, and interior streets, with visual police presence, speed traps, ticketing, and arrests for reckless driving to send a clear message of speed enforcement

·        Address Melrose Community Council membership October 25th and November 13th from 6:30-8:30pm to speak with neighbors directly and let us know you hear us and have a clear plan to fix these threats to our community

Expected Outcomes

·        Improved quality of life, life outcomes, and increased life expectancy for constituents of Zip Code 94601

·        Decrease traffic system-related casualties and fatalities in our historically underserved community

·        Begin delivering equitable distribution of life and property protection services for the people of East Oakland

Call to Action

·        Name a Melrose Street Scape Project Manager and schedule bi-weekly meetings directly with Melrose membership through development

·        Post visually obvious OPD, CHP, and DOT resources around the perimeter of Melrose and interior streets to stop reckless driving now and until after Melrose Street Scape breaks ground and is completed

·        Present clear proposals in writing and/or in person to Melrose Community Members at every monthly meeting in 2019 and 2020 until the Street Scape is complete

Our next two meetings are at Horace Mann Elementary School at 5222 Ygnacio Street & Congress from 6:45-8:30pm October 23rd and November 13th. Please contact me to set a time to meet with our Steering and Melrose Community members to illustrate your commitment to protecting our neighbors like other neighborhoods in Oakland are protected. We’ll see you every other Tuesday, 6:00pm, at Oakland City Hall.

Concerned Oaklander,

Stephanie Hayden
Chair, Melrose Community Council
Stephanie.hayden@melrosecommunity.org