An Oakland Tribune photographer was robbed of her equipment while on assignment on Monday. She wasn't hurt, but certainly shaken. The Tribune reports: "Laura Oda, a chief photographer for the Bay Area News Group for 22 years, had just finished photographing a mural on San Pablo Avenue, between 35th and 36th streets, and walked back to her vehicle, parked at the corner of 36th Street, when a man with a gun grabbed two cameras off her shoulder, and another man swiped her camera bag and laptop from the back of the car."

Egads. We hope Oda is recovering nicely and (more importantly) that her publishers plan on reimbursing her for her loss. Anyway, this is the second time a news crew got jacked while reporting near said mural area.

The Tribune goes on:

On the morning of June 18, two photographers at the mural had two cameras and a tripod stolen while they were setting up to photograph the painters at work.

"Some of the painters ran after (the suspect), and (one suspect) pulled a gun. They backed off, and the guys left," said Katie Barretta, spokeswoman for the nonprofit Attitudinal Healing Connection, which is organizing the mural. No one was injured. Police don't know if the June 18 incident is linked to the armed robbery Monday.

The fuzz are offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the creeps involved in each robbery. Information should be directed to OPD at 510-238-3326. In the meantime, watch yourselves our there, journos. You are doing God's work.

[Oakland Local]
[OakTrib]