East Palo Alto passes a momentous milestone: zero homicides in 2023

Guest article by Jackie Krentzman, freelance writer and editor

In 1992, East Palo Alto made national headlines — for the wrong reason. Its homicide rate spiked to 42 murders, the highest per capita rate of any city in the U.S. Now 30 years later, East Palo Alto (pop. 28,000) achieved another notable landmark. For the first time, its homicide rate was zero.

The trajectory from the nation’s “murder capital” to one of the safest cities is a story of smart community policing, good governance, and widespread community resolve.

The Silicon Valley city had struggled with gangs and the crack cocaine crisis for years, which drove up all crime rates — particularly violent crime. Its location next to a freeway and the Dumbarton Bridge made it a crossroads for gang members and drug dealers from all over the Bay Area looking for an easy escape route.

Police Chief Jeff Liu, who joined the force as a beat officer in 2000, witnessed the startling turnaround and is one of the many people at the vanguard of these enormous changes.

“When I first started, East Palo Alto was a very different city,” he said. “There were drug dealers on many corners. Gang activity and violent crimes were prevalent. I remember when working patrol in that era there were times we were sent to a shooting every single day. It became normal. And it is not a good thing to be adept at responding to shootings.”

The factors that brought about this remarkable turnaround are myriad, says Council Member Ruben Abrica. He has lived in the city for 45 years — making him a “founding member” of the 40-year-old city —  and served on the council since 2004.

He cites rooting out corruption in the city’s police force in the 1990s, a laser focus on community policing instead of punitive and aggressive approaches, working with nonprofits and the faith community to develop support services targeted to youth and gang members, and the resolve of the tight-knit community to change the narrative.

The first step was changing how the police policed and restoring trust. Residents in the city, which morphed from predominately Black to predominately Latino, historically did not trust law enforcement.

“We put a great emphasis on not just on adding more police officers, but on what would they do differently,” said Abrica.

Liu said when he joined the force it began emphasizing creating authentic ties between the department and the community. The department wanted community members to see it as a partner in the citywide fight to reduce crime. Beat officers began chatting with youth on street corners or attending their basketball games.

“You can’t solve a crime with no witnesses coming forward,” he said. “They don’t talk to you because they don’t trust or know you. By building those relationships, citizens become more willing to give you info, which greatly increases our effectiveness in solving crimes.”

The next step was offering programs like midnight basketball and soccer leagues, part-time jobs, and violence prevention programs to youth before they got attracted to gangs or drugs.

The city also began working with the community on violence prevention and the national Operation Ceasefire partnership. One pivotal local organization spearheading much of this work was WeHOPE, founded by Pastor Paul Bains and his wife Cheryl in 1999. Bains, the longtime pastor of Saint Samuel Church, was born and raised in the city. Frustrated with the rising violence and a lack of city resources, he leveraged his deep community ties and strong relationships with youth to help bring people together to address the crisis.

“People were fed up,” he said. “There was the will to make change that cross[es] ethnic, racial, and age lines.”

Since its founding, WeHOPE has partnered with over 200 corporations, government agencies, and community groups to develop life skills and job training, housing, and emergency food and shelter. One of its focal points is job training for formerly incarcerated people attempting to reenter or enter the workforce.

Bains and partners like Friar Lawrence Goode of St. Francis of Assisi Church also focused on personal intervention — starting with the grandmothers.

“Grandmothers often had the motivation and the respect of younger family members,” Bains said. “So, when violence happened, the chaplains and pastors would come and talk to family on both sides, to try to broker peace, and move youth into programs with a positive focus.”

Chief Liu, like many East Palo Alto employees and residents, is proud of the enormous progress the city has made. Wanting to reward valuable partners and encourage people to stay the course, he has ordered 500 large coins emblazoned with a golden goose egg on the front — representing zero homicides — and a thank you for keeping the community safe message on the back.

“I plan to give them out to people who contributed to this milestone,” he said. “Although I’m not sure if 500 will be enough!”

The Cal Cities #LocalWorks initiative shines the spotlight on examples of local actions that are making a difference to their communities. Show how #LocalWorks in your community by contacting communications@calcities.org