Inside the crime-ridden California neighborhood where it’s even too dangerous for road workers who are abandoning construction sites as businesses close their doors

Frustrated Oakland residents are in the hole after a construction crew quit and refused to finish pothole paving work because it became “too dangerous” for workers — while other businesses fled the Bay Area over the same concerns.

Residents in East Oakland’s Sobrante Park area said they weren’t even notified after the outside general contractor decided to abandon the project before the streets were repaved. large potholes and dangerously loose gravel everywhere in the area since mid-May.

When resident Shari Angarano contacted a city project manager for answers, she was left in disbelief.

“He basically said work was suspended and he couldn’t tell me when they were coming back because the contractor stopped all work because they felt unsafe,” Angarano told DailyMail.com.

Shari Angarano said she’s frustrated that construction workers left her neighborhood with even worse potholes after crews decided to abandon the job over safety concerns.

She added, “They would not restart the project until the city of Oakland could guarantee them a safe work environment.”

In the meantime, those living in the Sobrabte Park neighborhood have to deal with the dangerous uneven pavement potentially damaging their cars and tires.

“I’m worried about the cars and buses passing by,” Angarano said. ‘There are plenty of children in our neighborhood who cycle, and buses regularly pass by and kick up the loose gravel. It’s just not safe.’

When Angarano asked the project manager what to do if her vehicle suffered damage from driving on rough roads, she was simply told to “file a complaint with the city to get a refund.”

The already besieged city is experiencing an increase in criminal activity and more and more companies are refusing to do business in the area.

Like many cities across the country, Oakland has experienced a wave of robberies.

In response, Governor Gavin Newsom approved more than $267 million for local police departments and district attorneys to combat shoplifting, but progressive Oakland Mayor Shen Thao was criticized for missing a deadline to secure $15 million in state funding .

Last week alone, there were a total of 149 car thefts, 108 reported assaults and 31 robbery incidents in Oakland, according to data released by the Oakland Police Department.

From January to May, Oakland saw a two percent decrease in violent crime compared to the same period last year, but a six percent increase in robberies.

In some parts of Oakland, car burglaries are so common that locals have a name for them: bippin’.

As certain companies refuse to do business in crime-ridden areas, other businesses and restaurants have also left Oakland.

The city’s only In-N-Out Burger closed its doors on March 25 due to rising crime – the only location to close in the popular chain’s 75-year history.

The In-N-Out location on Oakport Street in Oakland closed after the company decided it was too dangerous for customers and employees due to the increase in baggage thieves gangs breaking into cars on the premises

A sign at the now-closed In-N-Out Oakland location attempted to warn customers to remain vigilant

“Despite repeatedly taking steps to create safer conditions, our customers and employees are regularly victims of car burglaries, property damage, theft and armed robberies,” the company’s Chief Operations Officer Denny Warnick wrote in a statement .

DailyMail.com has previously reported on Oakland’s crime “hotspot,” including the now-closed In-N-Out and three gas stations near the Oakland airport.

The same thing happened in February to Oakland’s only Denny’s, which had been in business for 54 years.

Buck Wild Brewing, which filed for bankruptcy in April, is another restaurant forced to close as city officials allowed slums to grow in the Bay Area city.

Buck Wild Brewing opened during the pandemic and simply never saw the foot traffic necessary to keep the business going

Tiger’s Taproom, just one block from Buck Wild, almost had to close last year. SFGoes reported.

In addition to the crime, there were other factors that caused Buck Wild in particular, a gluten-free brewery on Jack London Square, to close shop.

The bar opened in November 2020, a major drawback as they were unable to build a loyal customer base before the Covid lockdowns.

The pandemic-era brewery was banking in part on the Oakland A’s building a brand new $12 billion ballpark at Howard Terminal, just a half-mile away from Jack London Square.

The A’s decided to reject the plan and instead move to Las Vegas, where they might play in 2028.

The mockup of the proposed Oakland A stadium at Howard Terminal near Jack London Square, where Buck Wild Brewing was located

“We didn’t hang our hat on the fact that the Oakland A’s were moving a quarter mile away, but when that deal fell through it was certainly a big blow to the neighborhood and to the city as a whole,” owner Michael Bernstein said.

This all comes as shocking images emerged of a long stretch of road in Oakland covered in filthy makeshift tents for the homeless.

Trash was strewn around dozens of homes built of wood, tarp and other discarded materials.

Michael Oxford, the host of CaliBased, posted the video on May 31 with the caption: “Parts of Oakland are worse than a third world country. They just let people live in absolute misery wherever they want.”

The desperation and crime in Oakland has gotten so bad that people have resorted to stealing copper wire from traffic lights. This phenomenon forced city officials to remove traffic lights from a busy intersection and replace them with stop signs.

Oakland’s two most visible lawmakers — Mayor Sheng Thao and her prosecutor, Pamela Price — are both facing recalls over soft-on-crime policies that have devastated the city.

Thao was previously mocked for suggesting that life coaching could help solve the city’s rising crime rates.

Progressive Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has faced criticism for the increase in crime since she took office in 2023.

Angarano, who moved to Oakland from New York, said she is concerned that the city will not be able to shake off the economic downturn that is affecting the quality of life in the area.

“Since I moved here eight years ago, I’ve definitely had a taste for commerce and everything has gone downhill,” she said. ‘When I first moved here, we had the [Golden State] Warriors played at the Oakland Arena, and we had the Raiders at the Coliseum.

“And now the Oakland A’s are leaving too. It makes me concerned about the general atmosphere when franchises leave. It’s not a good sign.’