Violent crime is all too familiar to Oaklanders, but last week’s murder of Jennifer Angel, the owner of the popular bakery Angel Cakes, may mark a turning point. The pendulum of opinion on public safety is finally beginning to swing the other way in our beleaguered city. Neighbors have had enough of predatory criminals, and are fighting back.

Last Monday, a pair of thieves broke Angel’s car window and stole her purse while she was inside. To retrieve her property, Angel pursued the thieves and fought them. During the altercation, she was knocked to the ground and dragged for more than 50 feet by their getaway vehicle, sustaining severe injuries; she died on Thursday.

Angel was a police and prison abolitionist. To honor her legacy, her family has asked for restorative justice instead of police intervention for the murderers, who have yet to be caught. Their statement read: