This month, the East Palo Alto Police Department announced that there were exactly zero homicides committed in the city in 2023. It’s an extraordinary feat, given the situation three decades ago. In 1992, East Palo Alto was dubbed America’s “murder capital.” That year, there were 42 homicides – or 175 killings for every 100,000 residents.
Most of the murders were tied to drugs and gang activity, according to Police Sergeant Paul Norris. There were “drug sales on almost every street,” he told the Los Angeles Times. The city, he added, was “like a war zone.”
Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before progress is made. That was the case for East Palo Alto. The murder surge was so striking that it captured national attention – and that prompted neighboring cities and the state to step in.
Palo Alto sent four of its officers to help the city, while Menlo Park donated another two. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department offered up 18 deputies, and the state offered 12 officers from Highway Patrol.
“The outside officers more than doubled the strength of the department,” according to the Times.
Former Mayor Sharifa Wilson downplays the impact of heightened police presence. Instead, she points to a development boom. With assistance from the state, the city was able to get a large shopping center that increased economic opportunity and fostered further development.
The community also stepped up. Faith leaders and nonprofits set up afterschool programs and youth outreach initiatives. A group of residents carefully monitored the streets for drug activity. Community policing had helped rebuild trust between residents and cops, so community members more readily alerted the police to criminal activity. Around the same time, there were federal crackdowns on gang activity which helped drive a decrease in crime, according to the city.
The area underwent enormous gentrification after the tech boom of the 1990s. Rising property values in neighboring Palo Alto spilled over into East Palo Alto. Tech workers moved in, and Stanford University expanded. Posh businesses began setting up to cater to wealthier clientele. Those new businesses brought additional revenue and jobs. While gentrification contributed to the dropping crime rate, it also pushed out families who had been in the area for many years, and created a lack of affordable housing.
The city still has its share of problems, but violent crime isn’t one of them. As places like Oakland, Merced and Bakersfield struggle to address high murder rates, the story of East Palo Alto offers hope for change.