Oakland's biggest employers tell employees to eat lunch on site due to rising crime

Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente are recommending that employees eat lunch inside at work and avoid leaving the facility due to rampant violent crime surrounding Oakland.

Kaiser Permanente is the largest private company in the city of California, according to the daily mail. Blue Cross/Blue Shield is also huge. Both companies are also providing security to walk employees there from their vehicles and are arranging rides for workers.

Oakland and San Francisco are experimenting a massive increase in crime and homelessness allegedly due to left-wing policies being put in place that cater more to criminals than victims.

Ironically, Blue Cross/Blue Shield moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Oakland in 2019. The Daily Mail reported that the company encourages workers to come into the physical office at least twice a month. Executives are expected to come once a week.

(Video credit: KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA)

Kaiser Permanente issued a memo to its employees advising them to stay in the building during lunch and throughout the workday. They are told to bring their lunch or have it delivered. Various employees they have been assaulted in their cars. It has been reported that vehicles have been set on fire or stolen and some employees have been robbed. Many of the attacks take place in broad daylight. Several employees have reportedly installed kill switches to prevent their cars from being stolen.

The memo also warned against out-of-town workers holding meetings in downtown Oakland.

“In general it's kind of scary, not even going to work, just going outside,” Arielle Crenshaw said. Fox 2 in an interview

“If you can work at home, work at home. If you must go in, be safe,” Kaiser Permanente advised workers.

“In response to the current crime environment affecting all businesses and the entire Oakland community, as well as other communities across the country, we continue to provide guidance to keep employees as safe as possible,” said the company in a statement.

“Don't leave the building during lunch.”

Kaiser Permanente Oakland is notifying employees

Democrats destroy everything pic.twitter.com/Eq0E633N0u

— ATX Irish Gal ❤️ (@Notmyfault99) January 29, 2024

The move by the mega-businessmen has outraged food businesses in the city centre.

“It's kind of annoying to hear you know, because everybody's trying to thrive, everybody's trying to do business. It's pretty slow as it is,” Molcajete Cocina Mexicana owner Mauricio Torres said, according to Fox 2.

“I don't think you want to discourage people from walking and giving in to the bad elements running around. I think the opposite: I think if there are more people on the street, there will be fewer incidents,” said Emil Wahbeh, owner of Aroma Cafe, also online.

Crime in Oakland is set to increase by 21 percent by 2023, according to the Daily Mail. Thefts increased by 38 percent and thefts increased by 23 percent. For the second year in a row, there have been 120 murders in Oakland. Car thefts have increased by 44 percent.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sheng Thao makes the implausible claim that Oakland is making progress on downtown crime.

Kaiser Permanente is headquartered in downtown Oakland. Oakland's progressive leftists have reached a very dangerous point of chaos and crime. https://t.co/HwdMS0dpIH

— BK (@BKCaliNative) January 26, 2024

In a statement to Fox 2, Mayor Sheng Thao's office commented, “Oakland is moving forward to address community safety in our commercial districts where many of Kaiser's facilities are located. There are more police and safety ambassadors on the street than at any time in the past two years. At the end of last year, Oakland had a significant experience reduction of property crimes in the city's commercial districts. Oakland will remain vigilant and work collaboratively to ensure that this downward trend continues and more resources are brought to the table.”

It is unclear whether the Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross/Blue Shield directives are permanent or not.

Companies like In-N-Out Burger is closing up shop in Oakland and on the run because of out-of-control crime.

“The city center looks like a ghost town. So it's very disheartening,” said Robert Mendez, who was born in Oakland CBS News. “It's like the city fell off a cliff.”

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is a constitutional conservative who researches and writes extensively on politics and current affairs.

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