That's crazy because I had the same experience. I've been all over the US, including Oakland. Many years ago I was going to a meeting, I made a wrong turn and wound up in "the hood." I swear it actually felt and looked like the clouds suddenly covered up the sun. I did not stop. lol
As you wrote, “many years ago.”
It’s really gone to shit since. There were RVs on blocks running generators, various pieces of furniture in the middle of the road, and fires burning in steel drums.
The hotel where I stayed in 2001 was now surrounded by a high fence, and a guard was on duty at the parking lot entrance 24/7, asking for your room number.
We went to Denny’s for dinner, and the parking lot was almost empty. We were one of two customers, and the prices were 15-20% higher than here in Riverside County.