Oakland is facing a surge in homicides. But young and old don't always agree on how to deal with it
As Oakland grapples with rising homicides and the pending arrival of California Highway Patrol to enforce traffic, Jessica Ramos is a fierce advocate and activist against police in the city of Oakland. However, her parents, Ricardo and Alma, feel the opposite and are in support of having a stronger police presence in Oakland.
This dynamic within the Ramos family is representative of the larger dynamic of generational differences around policing, with young people against police and older people for police, and the struggle Oakland faces in approaching rising crime in the city.
For The SF Chronicle
Ricardo, Jessica, and Alma Ramos pictured in Hayward, Calif. The Ramos family is often at odds when it comes to their opinions on police reform, with Jessica a staunch activist for reform, while her parents, Ricardo and Alma, want more police presence in Oakland.
Jessica Ramos listens to her family speak at the dinner table of her grandmother’s home in Hayward, Calif.
Jessica Ramos feeds dinner to her cousin Natalia Ramos in her grandmother’s home in Hayward, Calif.
Alma and Jessica Ramos share an embrace while testing out a mattress at Ramos Furniture in Hayward, Calif.
Jessica Ramos holds her dog, Lucky, in her childhood home in Oakland, Calif.
A photo of Jessica Ramos’ high school graduation on the mantle of her childhood home in Oakland, Calif.