OAKLAND (KGO) — Just hours after Oakland rolled out a new safety policy for the downtown area, there was a deadly mass shooting.
Two people were killed and five others injured inside EZ’s Lounge at 412 14th Street, the Oakland Police Officers Association confirms.
Carlos Rodas lives in Castro Valley, but he likes food. That’s why he comes to Oakland.
“(There is) lots of food. It’s a foodie paradise,” says Rodas.
But he admits, it’s hard to get friends and family to come downtown because of concerns with crime. He hopes the city’s new safety measures will change minds.
“There is a snowball effect. You do something positive. And something more positive comes along. I think that is definitely a welcomed thing,” says Rodas.
RELATED: 2 killed, 5 others injured in mass shooting at downtown Oakland bar
Every Friday and Saturday night beginning this weekend, the city is adding safety enhancements to Telegraph Avenue and Broadway – an area referred to as Oakland’s Arts and Entertainment District.
People will now see additional community ambassadors and public safety coordinators throughout the night, stricter parking enforcement, and expanded safety measures and traffic control to minimize illegal vehicle activity.
The new initiative launched as two people were fatally shot and five others injured inside EZ’s lounge on nearby 14th Street. So far no arrests have been made. Last year, alone there were several other fatal shootings in the same area.
The program was rolled out Friday night which coincided with Oakland’s First Fridays Street festival. Fluid 510 bar owner Sean Sullivan calls the rollout “clumsy.”
“It was just this safety initiative wasn’t consistent. They did not engage with us. They rolled it out, not asked out opinions on some of the thing they were doing,” says Sullivan.
INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker
Sullivan says Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is moving the city in the right direction. He likes that tickets were issued for people who double parked. But he think closes off parking at 4 p.m. is too early. And, he says they had to stop a performance because the Fire Marshall showed up.
“We had a star from this season’s RuPaul Drag Race. And then we have to stop everything to take a city official through?” explains Sullivan. “And we get double checked on our busiest night? Make it make sense. It doesn’t.”
The city says it will monitor the safety improvements and adjust as necessary.
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