Following is an excerpt from an email from Charis Kaskiris detailing the effect of the BAS on the neighborhood from 2005 – 2008.
I took a quick look at crime data within 3 blocks centered BAS for the first 4 years after the BAS was located in our neighborhood (data available is 2005 through 2008). This is reported crime to the Berkeley Police which is the source of the data. The BAS was located on San Pablo at the end of 2004. The expectation that GED students started trickling in 2006 as 2005 the school has limited classes. A first view at the data:
- Disturbances: in 2005 we barely had any disturbances; by 2008 we almost averaged 1 per day!!!!
- Alcohol violations: doubled between 2005 and 2008
- Aggravated assaults: in the last 180 days we had 15!!! The same as 2006 and 2007 combined!
| Category |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Disturbances |
37 |
227 |
242 |
302 |
| Theft |
165 |
145 |
139 |
152 |
| Auto Burglary |
115 |
134 |
138 |
179 |
| Stolen Auto |
80 |
80 |
84 |
83 |
| Burglary |
56 |
61 |
70 |
64 |
| Vandalism |
63 |
43 |
75 |
77 |
| Alcohol violations |
33 |
61 |
49 |
59 |
| Robbery |
0 |
30 |
31 |
29 |
| Narcotics violations |
0 |
34 |
32 |
30 |
| Accident |
83 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| No category |
38 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Aggravated Assault |
0 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
| Arson |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
Between 2005 and 2006 the total number of crimes went up by 9% (exclude accidents), between 2008 and 2007 went up by4%. Within 3 years of locating the school here total number of crimes went up by 15%. To my knowledge after 6 years of running BAS the BUSD has done ZERO assessment on whether the program is serving the community it is supposed to, what is the cost transferred to the neighbors from having the school here (I estimate the financial damage that the BUSD has imposed on our neighborhood is easily in the millions). In the experience (not perception) of many neighbors, especially the ones next to BAS, their life has forever changed; there are even neighbors already contemplating MOVING out of the neighborhood.
Regarding Brad Smith’s Assessment of Crime over the years….
With regards to Brad Smith’s assessment I have to admit I am puzzled: “It’s been my sense that there has been little, if any, negative impact of these changes on the neighborhood over the years and the move of the Adult School has overall been a positive development”. I hope the following data will be helpful towards shedding some light on what has really being going on in an 1 block radius centered on Brad’s intersection:
| Category |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Disturbances |
0 |
9 |
32 |
35 |
| Theft |
8 |
6 |
11 |
8 |
| Auto Burglary |
7 |
8 |
5 |
11 |
| Stolen Auto |
3 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
| Burglary |
4 |
5 |
11 |
7 |
| Vandalism |
5 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
| Alcohol violations |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
| Robbery |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
| Narcotics violations |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Accident |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| No category |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Aggravated Assault |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Dead body found |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Arson |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
39 |
41 |
72 |
77 |
The increase in total crimes committed in a year between 2005 and 2008 within Brad Smith’s block is 100%. Perception is not fact.
first, thanks to everyone engaged in sorting out the details. it’s a thicket, and as usual, the BUSD isn’t much help.
A couple of questions and a comment:
just to make a picture, a 3-blk radius would be roughly Chestnut, Hearst, 8th or 9th and Page, something like that? can we tell how many of these incidents were closer to a margin of the 3-blk radius — I’m thinking of University/San Pablo and gang activity near there, the BART station, and around the Kenney Rec Center. also, there apparently is an uptick of drug and other activity at the western end of Francisco, how does this play into the stats, if we can tell.
there are some zeros for 2005 — robbery and narcotic violations, in particular — that don’t seem right — ?
we live on Kains and know that hangers-on at BAS have caused trouble — dope and burglaries on Virginia, for example. but I just get the sense we’re also dealing with non-BAS people regularly cruising the neighborhood, looking for open windows, etc.
it would be nice we could find some way to flesh the stats out causality-wise. personally, I’d like to find a straight-talking cop who’s been around here for a while. not the designated ‘community’ flak-catcher, but a on-the-ground veteran. And/or some of the store owners who may have been experiencing trouble and have some idea of the sources.
Posted by james day | May 26, 2011, 8:33 pmJames, there have been some posts on BAS Accountable about personal experiences. You can join go to Google Groups and find this group and send a membership request. You may also read it without membership. Letters from neighbors, many of which are posted, outline some of the anecdotal experiences of the neighbors. Cafe Leila, for instance, has invited Tom Bates to sit at the cafe in the morning to watch the “inevitable” fights between BAS students. One neighbor has to walk a gauntlet of cussing, rude students just to get to his front door. Others have been robbed. Officer Byron White or Capt. Eric Upson with BPD are very easy to access and are our community liaisons. They are up-front and will speak with you as a concerned neighbor. Hope this information helps.
- Heather W.
Posted by berkeleyadultschoolneighbors | May 28, 2011, 1:45 amBrad correctly stated that there is most likely a change in the recording policy of crime data that happened between 2005 and 2006. Hence if we just focus on property crime data that seems to be consistent across the years within 3 years of BAS the crime rate in the 3 block radius went up by 15%.
Posted by Charis Kaskiris | June 7, 2011, 6:38 am