The People’s Data – Oakland
Oakland is too often reduced to scary headlines. Reality is more complex.
Our mission is to close the gap between perception and reality in Oakland’s public safety story by providing transparent data, honest context, and a platform that empowers community dialogue and accountability.
Why we exist
For years, conversations about safety in Oakland have been dominated by noise, fear, and cherry-picked anecdotes. We’re here to raise the signal. When our community shares a common view of the truth, we can move toward lasting solutions…together as a community.
What we do
Publish the numbers, plainly. Current OPD data displayed with clear visuals, simple explanations, and accessible definitions.
Add context. We connect trends to root causes, proven strategies, and programs like focused-deterrence and community-based prevention.
Dispell myths. We separate rumor from reality and explain what the data can—and cannot—tell us.
Invite the community in. We collect feedback, listen to lived experience, and incorporate local knowledge to make the data more useful.
Document everything. Every chart links back to sources, notes limitations, and includes a visible change log.
How we work
Transparent sources. Our primary source is publicly available data from the Oakland Police Department (OPD). When we use other sources, we cite them.
Methodology you can check. We publish definitions, time windows, and calculation methods (e.g., year-over-year, rolling averages).
Updates on a cadence. We update pages as new official data is released and flag material changes.
Corrections welcome. If you spot an error, we fix it and record the correction in our changelog.
What we don’t do
We don’t sensationalize. We don’t sell fear. We don’t speak for the City of Oakland or OPD. We are not a replacement for 911 or city services. We’re a community resource to help everyone read the numbers responsibly.
Our commitments
Accuracy over drama
Plain language over jargon
Community voice over gatekeeping
Evidence over ideology
Who we are
The People’s Data – Oakland is a project of The Motley Collective, a civic-minded group dedicated to giving communities transparent, reliable information about crime and safety. We are researchers, consultants, designers, and storytellers who work in and alongside Oakland, committed to ensuring that data serves the people, not the other way around.