Do You Feel Safe on the Ohlone Greenway

On Wednesday afternoon, two students from Albany High School were shot while sitting near the BART line on the Ohlone Greenway in El Cerrito. One teen was shot in the face, but suffered only a minor injury. The second teen went to the hospital in critical condition, but was in stable condition Thursday morning, according to his mother.

The shooting has led some residents to question the safety of the Ohlone Greenway. A commenter named Debbie on El Cerrito Patch had this to say:

That is a total drug magnet area. The benches in the park adjacent have all kinds of drug paraphernalia litter. Crack vials, blunt wrappers, alcohol bottles etc. Clear cut the tall vegetation on the path, get rid of the benches and make the park a fenced community garden and it will make a difference. Also put a camera on this stretch. It is my understanding that the Bart path is a favored gang initiation territory for high school kids. So the solution is to make it crime proof. This is possible guys. There are landscapers that specialize in crime detecting design. It will be worth the money. And solvable- remember this is targeted crime as well not random or psychotic.

The Ohlone Greenway runs slightly more than five miles, largely following the course of a defunct rail line as well as the elevated portion of BART’s path through Berkeley, Albany, and El Cerrito.

Not everyone finds the greenway dangerous. A commenter named Patrick responded this way: I walk along the path near the shooting almost every day, and I mostly see people walking their dogs, going on runs, riding their bikes, or walking to work. Normal stuff. The only time I see anyone remotely dodgy is in the hours after school lets out, but maybe I'm just stereotyping teenagers as thugs. Not everyone wearing a hoodie is up to no good.

What do you think? Do you feel safe on the Ohlone Greenway?