My Former Home

The City of Richmond, California has been in the news this week, as a recent spate of violent crimes have brough the number of murders this year up to 17, in a city of about 100,000. Last night, the City Council considered and rejected a proposal to declare a state of emergency. Richmond was "ranked the 12th most dangerous city in the country last year and the most dangerous in California, based on FBI crime statistics." Weena and I (and later, Kevin and I) chose to live there because we found an affordable apartment, on the waterfront, halfway between Marin and Oakland. But we literally lived on the right side of the tracks. In a city where the schools are also experiencing hardship, I hope that the lessons of improving safety and attracting new development in East Palo Alto can be translated to Richmond.