Stuck in Stockton

Braden celebrates the perfect game with his grandmother.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden, best known for pitching a perfect game on Mother's Day two years ago, has finally had enough of the crime plaguing his bankrupt hometown, Stockton, California.

“Arm yourself or get out,” he told CBS Sacramento. “It’s the wild west. The boys in blue, they’re outgunned.”

Despite Stockton’s lack of glamor, Braden has long lived and commuted to Oakland from his home there. But in recent weeks, the city’s infamous crime problem forced Braden to reconsider. He says his grandmother was robbed and he himself was nearly carjacked by a man who tried to forcibly pull him out of his vehicle. Braden was livid during and after the [anti-violence] meeting, stopping to vent more of his frustration with the media in the video clip above.

The situation is so bad that Stockton’s famous son has decided that he can’t stay there any longer.

“I’m out of here because I’ve been lied to my entire life here, and I hate to see these people get lied to like this,” Braden said. “I’ve already put my home on the market. I’m out.”

Most people who live in Stockton aren't millionaires like Dallas Braden and cannot up and leave. (The inability to move from bad neighborhoods is one of the causes of poverty, argues Megan McArdle.)

Stockton City Manager Bob Deis pleas for understanding. Unlike businesses, Stockton doesn't have the option to liquidate.

Simply dissolving the city and selling all assets to pay creditors isn't an option, since we have to continue providing services to residents. [snip]

We are the 10th-most violent city in America. Rates of violence are increasing by double digits, with our murder rate on track to surpass last year's record of 58 murders. We have the second-lowest police staffing levels in the country for a large city, and often Stockton Police can respond only to "in-progress" crimes. Oakland, a nearby city with similar crime challenges, has 44% more police officers per capita. With high poverty rates and gang activity, we cannot turn our back on public safety due to creditor pressure.

Stockton will require extraordinary leadership to get back on a sound financial footing and still provide basic services to its 300,000 residents. With the flight of prominent residents like Dallas Braden, the task is nigh impossible. © 2012 Stephen Yuen