A major medical company advised employees not to travel in public in the city of Oakland over crime concerns. Oakland has seen one of the sharpest increases in crime of any major city following the 2020 George Floyd riots.
Kaiser Permanente told employees not to travel into the city to eat. The large medical company’s headquarters are in Oakland. Kaiser Permanente announced the change to employees in a memo, insisting that the measure was temporary.
“Kaiser Permanente is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our employees and physicians across all of our locations. We continually monitor our environments for concerns, review our practices and strengthen them wherever possible,” read the memo.
The company has not expanded on its decision since the announcement.
Kaiser to Oakland workers: stay inside for work – and lunch https://t.co/Py9hj2bjeR
— KTVU (@KTVU) January 26, 2024
This is not the only negative news to come out of Oakland in recent weeks. The popular fast-food chain In-N-Out announced the closure of its sole Oakland location, marking the first time that the company had closed a location in 75 years.
The company blamed significant crime in the area for the closure.
“We feel the frequency and severity of the crimes being encountered by our customers and associates leave us no alternative,” said a company official.
The area around the location saw nine robberies, two burglaries and more than 1,000 car break-ins over the past four years. Overall, police recorded more than 1,300 criminal complaints during the same period.
Last year, Oakland saw an increase in violent crime of more than 21%. That figure was significantly higher than in 2022, which itself was well above the figures before the 2020 riots.
Included in the increased crime was an increase of almost 40% in the robbery rate and an increase in burglaries of more than 20%. The city has also seen a significant increase in the number of homicides in recent years.
The city attempted to cut police funding following the riots but has increased police funding since following a large increase in crime.
