*Abduction rates have skyrocketed among young Black women in Oakland, prompting Oakland-based organizations to declare a state of emergency.
Speaking to local news station KRON 4, city council member Treva Reid said that out of the reported 1500 people missing throughout the city, 400 were Black women. She added: That is a concerning, troubling number.”
According to Vanessa Russell of the Oakland Violence Prevention Coalition, 10 attempted abductions of Black women happened over the past month, with three occurring over Mother’s Day weekend.
“One family, actually, their daughter was snatched, kidnapped on Lakeshore Avenue,” Russell told KRON 4, referencing the abduction of a 16-year-old girl earlier this month that rocked the Trestle Glen neighborhood near Lakeshore Ave. “Taken by gunpoint by three men in a black Lexus. This is enough. We have to do something.”
According to the victim’s brother, the young girl and her boyfriend had just left Wing Stop in the area when the three men pulled up and robbed them at gunpoint for their phone, ear pods and cash. For the return of their items, the suspects demanded that the 16-year-old get into their vehicle. They then drove around Oakland and robbed other victims with the young teen in tow until they finally released her the following morning near Interstate 580, unharmed.
City Council member Reid said she was committed to adopting a resolution in support of California Senate Bill 673, a bill that would “establish an ebony alert to help locate missing Black youth and Black women statewide.”
Additionally, Russell offered safety tips that could help Black women in the city stay safe.
“Be aware of your online presence and don’t always believe that people who are trying to connect with you are who they say they are,” she advised. “Definitely not hooking up with strangers when you’re online. Let’s start addressing the root causes–and we need to start holding the buyers accountable for coming into our city.”
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