Dellums, police appeal for public's help as takeovers turn violent

RON DELLUMS

(08-25) 18:10 PDT OAKLAND -- The latest spate of takeover holdups of Oakland restaurants and other businesses, including a pair of violent robberies over the weekend, is "clearly unacceptable," Mayor Ron Dellums said Monday as he and police pleaded for tips that would lead investigators to those responsible.

Dozen of restaurants throughout the city have been robbed in recent months, but few if any people had been hurt. That changed over the weekend when two employees were pistol-whipped, one at a seafood restaurant on MacArthur Boulevard and the other at a nail salon on Telegraph Avenue.

Authorities arrested and charged two suspected members of the West Oakland Acorn gang in connection with several robberies during an earlier spree in March and April. But investigators have been confounded by the recent holdups and admit they aren't close to solving any of them. They're hoping a $50,000 reward will lead to tips, which so far have been nonexistent.

"The community has to step up," Dellums said at a news conference Monday. "The community needs to be the eyes and ears. The community needs to observe. The community needs to look at suspicious activity. The community needs to write down license plates. They need to be an integral part of this effort. We need them very, very desperately. We cannot do this alone."

Dellums said he wanted to assure citizens that "their safety is paramount, that it's vital. It's important. It's job one. The residents of Oakland deserve better than to be victimized by acts of violence and robbery that tear at the very fabric of our community."

In a civilized society, "people should be able to move throughout the day, going about their lives with a sense of peace and security," Dellums said. "So we cannot and will not allow fear to overtake our community."

The mayor said the Guardian Angels, who have taken up posts in recent weeks in neighborhoods near Lake Merritt, have "acted as an important deterrent to robberies." No additional robberies have taken place in areas where the beret-wearing Angels have started patrols, the mayor said.

But many of the city's neighborhoods that appeared to have been immune have been targeted, including in the Oakland hills, the Rockridge and Dimond districts and in North Oakland.

Deputy Chief Dave Kozicki said police from Oakland and other local and state agencies have been deployed on foot, in vehicles and in undercover capacities to areas where the holdups have occurred. "We're putting cops on the dots," Kozicki said.

Police Chief Wayne Tucker said the number of robberies in Oakland is actually down this year compared with 2007. But the number of takeover robberies has increased.SOURCE:SFGATE.COM