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Editor’s Note: A 14-year-old Oakland, Calif., resident who’s father was shot to death interviews her friends about what they think causes all the violence in “Tha Town.” 

OAKLAND, Calif—I feel that Oakland was meant to be this way—people killing each other—because it doesn’t seem to stop. I’ve lived in Oakland since I was 3 years old. I’m 14 now. 

Looking at the pictures of those who died really scares me. Recently the Oakland Tribune printed the names and pictures of “Tha Town’s” murder victims in 2003, with a map showing the street location of the homicides. Most of the murders happened in East and West Oakland, and most of the victims were African American, but Asians, Latinos and others are also affected by Oakland’s bloodshed. 

Last year, there were 114 murders in Oakland.  

I feel really sorry for those who died. It hurts me inside. We may be separated by different colors but we still are the same people.  

I know because I lost my dad when I was 3 years old—and he was Vietnamese. I will never know how it feels to have a real father around. You know how my dad died? Someone shot him and my uncle. 

I wish I had been there. I want to know who killed my dad. What did he do wrong? He was just a daddy waiting to go home to his wife and his little daughter.  

My dad was killed in his car on 69th Avenue in East Oakland. All my family knows is that someone shot him and my uncle. My mother believes that kind people die young, but people who are evil and cruel live long lives.  

I asked some young people I know if they feel safe in Oakland. I know I don’t feel safe in my neighborhood at all, and neither do many of my friends. All I do is stay home, because I know if I step out the house the streets will turn me into someone my mom wouldn’t recognize.  

Maria, 14, is Chinese. She’s tall, brown-eyed and hyper. We stay in the same neighborhood, the “Murda Dubs,” the neighborhood in the 20-something Avenues.  

“I don’t feel really safe around my neighborhood. There have been at least three homicides around my streets. It’s gotten to the point where I think killing is an everyday normal agenda. I am prepared to die in the streets any second,” Maria says. 

Leslie, 14, is Mexican. She’s pretty and always has a smile on her face. She lives in East Oakland too. She says, “Sometimes I get scared to walk home because there a lot of people dealing with drugs out in my neighborhood all the time.” 

Ana, 14, lives in East Oakland. She is Salvadorian and has long curly hair. Her neighborhood is hectic. “People have been killed around the corner from my house. People have been beat up for money,” she says. “I can’t even go to the park ‘cause there are freaks who are disrespectful. It’s not a good place for a child to grow up in.” 

I wondered what my friends thought about the fact that black people do most of the dying in Oakland. 

“[It’s not just] Blacks but Asians too. There are also a lot of Mexicans that are killed. It’s not a big deal to Oakland, but I think everyone who lives in Oakland should care. If you don’t care or give a damn, what kind of person are you?” says Lil’ Tone, 17. Tone is Vietnamese and Cambodian. He’s tall and plays football for Oakland High.  

Ana had no idea most of Tha Town’s murder victims are black, but she adds, “I think that black people are crazier than other races. Not to put it out there, it’s just what I think.” 

Still, she says non-black people should be concerned. “I think everyone should care, because what if the person who died is in your family and they die for no reason? You would want people to care.” 

Leslie thinks the murders touch everybody. “I don’t think [murder] affects just black people. I know other races have been killed. It doesn’t mean Oakland only kills black people, it’s just that there more black people out there doing wild stuff.” 

I don’t know why people are killing each other in Oakland. Maria thinks it’s because of the cycle of violence. “Most of the killers probably lived a cruel life and didn’t get a good education,” she says. 

Rosie Nguyen is a student at Met West High School in Oakland and an intern at YO! Youth Outlook, a magazine by and for Bay Area youth and a Pacific News Service project. 

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