Blacks are evaporating in Oakland. Oakland, Calif., is hemorrhaging Black folks. Less than three decades ago, the city on California’s East Bay was nearly half African American; today that number has declined to fewer than a third, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week. The figures show that Oakland has lost 27,000 African Americans since 2000, although some question the method the federal government is using to conclude the dramatic decline. Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid is not one of those who doubts the numbers. He says that in his East Oakland district Blacks represent the majority, but he believes that will not be the case in the next half-decade. “We have an incredibly fast-growing Latino population. It’s been that way for about the last seven to eight years,” he told The Oakland Tribune, noting that many Blacks are fleeing to larger, cheaper homes in other Bay-Area communities, such as Tracy and Stockton. “African-Americans are no different from any other people. They want to send their kids to good schools. They want to feel their neighborhood and their kids are safe.” In 1980, about 47 percent of Oakland residents were African-American; now that number is closer to 31 percent.