The empathetic mayor of Berkeley, California, who redirected $10 million from the city’s police budget in 2020, has now taken a new approach in addressing the recent surge in crime.
“In Berkeley, my colleagues and I made adjustments, reallocating $9,251,458 from the Berkeley Police Department, constituting 12% of the agency’s annual operating budget,” Jesse Arreguin stated in a column for the San Francisco Chronicle in July 2020.
These changes were implemented amidst a national wave of anti-police sentiment following the tragic death of George Floyd, which sparked conversations about systemic racism in various aspects of society, including policing.
However, with crime rates on the rise and growing concerns from the public, Arreguin has shifted his focus towards proactive measures to ensure public safety and uphold the principles of law and order.
Arreguin recently held a press conference to announce the formation of a regional task force aimed at addressing the growing lawlessness in besieged East Bay cities.
“We have to work together across city and county lines to enhance public safety for the entire East Bay,” Arreguín stated in a prepared statement, according to the Berkeley Scanner. “This partnership will enable greater coordination and regional strategies that prevent and deter crime, and hold these individuals accountable.”
Officials have praised Arreguin’s initiative, emphasizing that greater coordination between local agencies could help mitigate law-breaking. However, some local merchants have expressed skepticism about the shift in posture, highlighting that Berkeley’s police ranks have drastically thinned in recent years, leading to a predictable increase in crime.
“Little late now, isn’t it?” said one downtown Berkeley merchant. “You bash cops, cut funds, and now you want to address it? It’s hilarious. This area was not like this five years ago. The business owners have had it.”
Entire blocks of the city’s once-thriving downtown are now shuttered, with “For Lease” signs dominating the landscape and largely being ignored.
“You see it all, every day,” the merchant said. “Homelessness, violence, people defecating in the street. It’s become the norm.”
Just last week, an unhinged man randomly fired gunshots in the air just outside a classical music performance on the UC Berkeley campus. Video footage showed frightened students scrambling inside a campus building as shots rang out.
The city’s lone Apple Store on chic 4th Street has been routinely targeted by thieves in broad daylight, with the location being hit seven times this year alone, according to reports.