By Helen Pow PUBLISHED: 10:44 EST, 18 August 2013 | UPDATED: 10:44 EST, 18 August 2013 A terrified neighborhood of Oakland, California has paid for private security guards to protect themselves after a raft of violent shootings. There have been 61 murders in the city so far this year, and the horrific violence has prompted the once-friendly and seemingly safe area of Maxwell Park to take their safety into their own hands. The gunfire is so common, 'it's like, "Oh, another shooting,"' Jan Hetherington, who has lived for 14 years in the Oakland neighborhood, which has sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay, told CBS News.
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The terrified neighborhood of Maxwell Park in Oakland, California has paid for private security guards to patrol after a raft of violent shootings
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There have been 61 murders in Oakland so far this year, after the city reduced its police force by a third
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The violence, including the murder dog walker, Judy Salamon, 66, has prompted the once peaceful neighborhood to act
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Local pastor Gregg Brown was also threatened at gunpoint
The gunman complained about the noise of the power washer @placeholder was using to clean the church sidewalk, screaming at him to stop or he'd shoot.