Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong recalls the peaceful streets of his youth

It's one of the few smiles he's had over the last month as the devastating toll of a gang turf war continues to mount and shootings have become nearly a nightly occurrence.

"We got to get guns out of the hands of young people," the chief told reporters."It's not just a police issue. That is an issue for families. These things start at home. In this moment, if we care about our children, we have to make sure they are safe. Far too many kids have access to guns." "Some days I'd just ride my bike of dribble a ball here," he said in a park near 13th and Willow streets."The neighborhood was always a close knit community. Everybody knew each other. They knew my mother. They knew my grandfather who owned a business a couple blocks down."

"My mother could call me from the porch," he said."When it was dinner time, she'd come onto the porch and scream my name and I could hear her and I'd know it was time to come home...We'd just run home for a snack and come right back .""People don't feel safe," he said."They can't come out here without feeling that something is going to happen.

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