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Oakland Police officers listen to a press conference announcing the shooting deaths of three fellow officers March 21, 2009. Getty Images

Lee Hill, here ...

Unfortunately, today our attention was directed once again at Oakland, as part of our ongoing look at cities in crisis.

Last weekend was brutal for the city across the Bay from San Francisco. Four policemen -- Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, Officer John Hege, 41, Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35 -- were gunned down on Saturday, allegedly at the hands of 26-year-old parolee Lovelle Mixon. Authorities in the area say the ordeal, which spanned across two crime scenes, began as a routine traffic stop. (Mixon was later killed in the incident by police officers).

As you might recall, earlier this year we reported on another fatal incident involving Oakland law enforcement. Oscar Grant, 22, was shot and killed on New Years Day, allegedly by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle, 27. (Mersherle has since resigned from his post and is now charged with murder.) The incident touched off racial tensions in the city, which eventually lead to rioting -- Mersherle is white, Grant was black.

But although there is at least one apparent similarity between the two Oakland cases -- civilians Grant and Mixon were both African-American -- the differences seem far more distinct. In the recent incident, the officers are mourned as victims. In the Grant case, a "man of the shield" is allegedly a perpetrator.

Also, Grant was unarmed in the January shooting, while Mixon was reportedly toting serious weaponry.

For whatever reason, it seems lightning chose to strike twice (and hard) in the same place, for reasons we'll probably never know.

... But maybe it's what we do know about Oakland that deserves a closer look; a backdrop, if you will, to the city's "headline" troubles. For example:

- Oakland faces at least a $50 million budget deficit, which could increase

- 90 percent of city homicides in 2007 were caused by gun violence

- The unemployment rate in Oakland is 14.7 percent. (In February, 8.1 was the national average.)

I'm curious to know about the relationship, if any, between such city crises and "the (bigger) crisis."

Tomorrow, we take a look at another beleaguered city: Detroit.

As always, please don't hesitate to tell us how you're processing events where you live ...

Our deepest condolences to those who tragically lost loved ones to recent violence in Oakland, or anywhere.

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categories: More on Crime & Punishment

5:20 - March 24, 2009

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