At 3:22 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, four off-duty security guards meet in a fast-food restaurant in the Fruitvale district and change into their black combat boots, fatigues, black berets and T-shirts with their Bay Area Street Safety Patrol name and logo on the front and back. Each puts on a gold security badge, a handheld radio and a pair of handcuffs on their belts.
They set out for a 40-block trek down International Boulevard in East Oakland in an effort to quell verbal and physical fights, report crime to police and encourage residents and merchants to do the same and even pick up trash, give directions and discourage prostitution. The volunteers say they don't carry guns or Tasers, pepper spray or batons. They claim they use their mediation and negotiation skills to intervene in verbal and physical fights, stop teens from harassing others, move street walkers away from busy areas and keep the peace. They say they are there simply as an authoritative presence to keep things calm and observe and report crimes-in-progress to police dispatchers.
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