During two of the past three years, East Palo Alto has recorded zero homicides, continuing the trend of declining violence and crime, according to the East Palo Alto Police Department.
In 1992, East Palo Alto was named the “murder capital” of the U.S. due to having the highest per capita homicide rate in the nation. Driven by the crack epidemic, the city recorded 42 murders for a population of roughly 24,000–25,000 residents. This period was marked by extreme violence, overwhelming the small, understaffed police department, according to a San Mateo County report.
Professor Hadar Aviram, who specializes in criminal justice, civil rights, law, politics and social movements at UC Law San Francisco, said having over a year without homicides can be a real marker of progress for a city’s safety.
“It’s very significant,” Aviram said. “But when we talk about crime trends, we’re looking for trends
for far more than a year.”
Since the mid 2000’s, the City of East Palo Alto has worked to reduce crime rates, particularly homicides. The recent declining trends, according to Berkeley Law, have proved these efforts successful.
East Palo Alto Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica said the process of decreasing crime rates has been slow, and the city has been implementing changes for many years before the declining trend solidified.
“It started 20, 25 years ago, and it finally reached the point where there were very few (homicides),” Abrica said. “And now, most recently, there have been no homicides.”
Abrica said the city began with operations to take down large drug-dealing gangs, specifically referencing a major crackdown in March 2009. Over 500 law enforcement personnel, including local and federal officers, participated in a major anti-gang operation in which they arrested 30 gang members, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Most of the violence happened because there were some gangs operating in the city,” Abrica said. “It was a war for the market.”
East Palo Alto resident and dog walker, Marla Kravatz, who moved to East Palo Alto around four years ago, said her original perceptions of the city were negative.
“I thought it was going to be a somewhat challenging place to live,” Kravatz said. “I had lived in Palo Alto for 10 years before that, which I felt very safe and very comfortable in, and I just figured I’d have to be very careful and vigilant.”
Despite years of declining crime rates, Abrica said most people assume that it remains unsafe in East Palo Alto.
“Some people, if they don’t know a lot or haven’t looked into it, might think that there were no homicides this year, but that probably the year before there were always a lot of killings, but it’s not true,” Abrica said. “It’s always important to understand the context.”
Abrica also said that in order to maintain low homicide and crime rates, trust between the community and law enforcement is crucial.
“I also think people know that because it took so long, they helped and they contributed,” Abrica said. “I also hope that people feel committed to continue not falling into violence.”
Kravatz said she felt surprised when she heard about the milestone the city reached.
“It’s a funny thing to be proud of, but it was a good thing — especially when the country seems to be getting very angry at each other,” Kravatz said. “It was nice to know that here in East Palo Alto, we were peaceful citizens.”
Aviram said the efforts to keep crime low are not complete, and to keep crime rates low, the city must continue to focus on enforcing its changes.
“One way to do this is a project where you spend time investing money and effort in diverting people from (a criminal) path to law-abiding paths,” said Aviram. “That is something that requires constant tending and constant attention. Whenever there is an initiative like that, what’s going to make or break it is how much patience the city has.”
