Oakland community reels after mass rose bush theft from beloved park

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — In mid-October, 51 rose bushes were stolen from the Morcom Rose Garden in Oakland’s Grand Lake neighborhood, leaving the community shocked and saddened.

The theft occurred at a park managed by the City of Oakland but maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers. The Morcom Rose Garden has been a cherished public space since the late 1920s, hosting weddings and serving as a sanctuary for visitors.

“It’s a great public space,” said Timothy, a visitor to the garden. “This is a space for all of us. It’s not a space to be stealing from.”

“For what? Are they resellable? I have no idea. It seems completely selfish and just insane to me,” commented Mike, another visitor.

Volunteers acted swiftly to clean up the aftermath of the vandalism, ensuring that most visitors would not notice the damage. Despite their efforts, the theft has left a mark on the community.

Zelda Hazel, a visitor, expressed disbelief at the scale of the theft, saying, “I have picked a rose before on a special occasion and I — that felt like a lot to me. So, I don’t understand how anybody could just uproot so many shrubs.”

The park features more than six thousand rose bushes, and some of the stolen plants were exotic varieties with personal significance to those who planted them.

Although signs indicate the area is under surveillance, it is unclear if the theft was captured on camera.

A report has been filed with the Oakland Police Department.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.