Oakland Neighborhood Plagued By Gangs Gets Special Attention From New Mayor

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Oakland Mayor Jean Quan mentioned east Oakland police beat 33 in an address Monday afternoon. The area is bordered by International Boulevard, San Leandro Street and 81st and 98th Avenues.

24 Hours after the address six people were wounded in a gang shooting, including an innocent bystander.

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

Quan's spokeswoman Sue Piper said the mayor will soon hold a community meeting in the area to try to reorganize the neighborhood watch program.

"We're working with the school district and the county, and lots of other organizations over time to build an array of services from cradle to cradle basically – from one generation to the next basically," said Piper. "We want to make sure that people in that neighborhood really get off to a good start and can be successful in life."

It is estimated that the unemployment rate in the area is at 28 percent, and only 30 percent of the students from there graduate from high school.

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