Inside the crime-ridden California neighborhood where it's even too dangerous for road workers who are abandoning construction sites as businesses close their doors

Frustrated Oakland residents are in the hole after a construction crew quit and refused to finish its pothole paving job because it got 'too dangerous' for its workers - as other businesses flee the Bay Area over the same concerns.

Residents in the Sobrante Park area in East Oakland said they weren't even notified after the third-party general contractor decided to abandon the project before repaving the streets, leaving large potholes and dangerous loose gravel all over the neighborhood since mid-May.

When resident Shari Angarano reached out to a city project manager for some answers, she was left in disbelief.

'He essentially said that the work was suspended and he couldn't tell me the time frame when they would return because the contractor halted all the work because they felt unsafe,' Angarano told DailyMail.com.

She added, 'They were not going to restart the project until the City of Oakland could guarantee a safe work environment for them.'

In the meantime, those who live in the Sobrabte Park neighborhood have to deal with the dangerous uneven pavement possibly damaging their cars and tires.

'I am concerned about the cars and buses that coming by,' Angarano said. 'There are plenty of children in our neighborhood who ride their bikes, and buses come by regularly and kick up that loose gravel. It's just not safe.'

When Angarano asked the project manager what she should do if her vehicle gats damages from driving on the uneven street, she was simply told to 'file a complaint to the city to get a reimbursement.'

The already beleaguered city is dealing with an uptick in criminal activity and more companies refusing to do business in the area.

Like many cities across the nation, Oakland has seen its rash of smash-and-grab robberies. 

In response, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved over $267 million for local police departments and district attorney offices to combat retail theft, but progressive Oakland Mayor Shen Thao was slammed for missing a deadline to secure $15 million in state funding.

In just the past week, there were a total of 149 motor vehicle thefts in Oakland, 108 reported assaults and 31 robbery incidents, according to data released by the Oakland Police Department.

From January to May, Oakland saw a two percent drop in violent crime compared to the same time last year, but saw an six percent increase in robberies.

Car break-ins have been so common in some areas of Oakland that locals have a name for it - bippin'. 

As certain companies refuse to do business in crime-riddled areas, other businesses and restaurants have also left Oakland. 

The city's only In-N-Out Burger shuttered its doors on March 25 due to soaring crime - the only location to close in the popular chain's 75-year history.

'Despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions, our Customers and Associates are regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies,' the company's chief operations officer, Denny Warnick, wrote in a statement.

DailyMail.com has previously reported Oakland crime 'hotspot' included that now shuttered In-N-Out and three gas stations near the Oakland Airport. 

The same happened in February with Oakland's only Denny's, which had been around for 54 years. 

Buck Wild Brewing, which went out of business in April, is another restaurant that had to close their doors as city officials allow shanty-towns to grow in the Bay Area city.

Tiger's Taproom, just one block away from Buck Wild, almost had to close last year, SFGate reported.

Other factors besides crime got Buck Wild in particular, a gluten free brewery in Jack London Square, to close up shop.

The bar opened it November 2020, a huge disadvantage since they weren't able to establish a loyal customer base before Covid lockdowns.

The pandemic-era brewery was in part banking on the Oakland A's building a brand new $12 billion ballpark at Howard Terminal, which is just a half a mile away from Jack London Square.

The A's decided to reject the plan and instead move to Las Vegas, where they may be playing by 2028. 

'We didn’t hang our hat on the fact that the Oakland A’s were going to move in half a mile away, but when that deal fell through, that was certainly a big blow to the neighborhood and to the city as a whole,' owner Michael Bernstein said.

All of this comes as shocking footage emerged of a long stretch of road in Oakland, that are covered in squalid makeshift tents for the homeless.

Trash was strewn around scores of houses built of wood, tarp and other discarded materials. 

Michael Oxford, the host of CaliBased, posted the video on May 31, captioning it: 'Parts of Oakland are worse than a third world country. They just allow people to live in absolute squalor, wherever they choose.'

The desperation and crime within Oakland has gotten so bad that people have resorted to stealing copper wire out from traffic lights. This phenomenon forced city officials to remove traffic lights from one busy intersection and replace them with stop signs.

Oakland's two most visible lawmakers - Mayor Sheng Thao and her district attorney, Pamela Price - are both facing recalls over soft-on-crime policies blamed for ruining the city. 

Thao was previously mocked for suggesting life coaching could help solve the city's soaring crime rates. 

Angarano, who moved from New York to Oakland, said she is concerned that the city will not be able to shake off the economic downturn, which is affecting quality of life in the area.

'Since I moved here eight years ago, I've definitely feel like commerce and everything has been declining,' she said. 'When I first moved here, we had the [Golden State] Warriors playing at the Oakland arena, and we had the Raiders at the Coliseum. 

'And now the Oakland A's are also leaving. It does make me concerned for the general area when franchises leave. It's not a good sign.'