ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 23, 2020
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA SAFE ZONE — Following a military invasion just last month and the deposing of Praxis Heavy Industries from the region, the fate of the California Safe Zone is still an uncertainty.
With the expected dissolution of Praxis Heavy Industries ahead of court dates for its board of directors and upper leadership, the state of the California Safe Zone has become a hotly debated topic. It is unlikely that the United States will pay back the estimated 37 billion dollars paid by Praxis Heavy Industries for the territory of Praxia though all signs point to the United State to contest Praxis Heavy Industries' ownership in light of recent events.
With the last-minute liquidation of the majority of Praxis Heavy Industries' patents and material assets to Yamagato Industries shortly before they were frozen by the Chinese government, it is expected that the Japanese technology company will simply hand over the Praxia territory to affirm their strong business relationship with the United States.
But where this leaves the thousands of first-wave resettlement volunteers currently residing in the solitary completed neighborhood of Oakland is unclear. Construction efforts within the California Safe Zone ended when the partial collapse of the Praxis Ziggurat damaged automated systems directing the company's fleet of construction drones. It is unexpected that construction will begin again within 2020.
Residents of Oakland are, understandably, shaken by these developments. Many were on waiting lists to get into the California Safe Zone and are former residents of the state driven out by the civil war. Now faced with remaining within an unfinished city without a reliable power grid or returning to resettlement camps across the country, they must make a difficult challenge.
Many Oakland residents the Associated Press has spoken to have voiced frustrations at the United States for their handling of the occupation of the Safe Zone following Praxis' collapse. With no law enforcement, infrastructure, and Praxis security having either surrendered or fled the area, there is little law and order within the region. The US Military has localized their presence to the island of Praxia with only token reinforcement of Oakland.
While the situation in Oakland hasn't degraded into riots and looting, it is expected that the city's state will only continue to deteriorate. It is unclear how soon any measure of reconstruction or stability will return.
The Red Cross is set to arrive in Oakland at the end of March to begin humanitarian efforts and the President has declared the region a disaster area to open up what limited disaster relief funds may be available for the Oakland citizens.
The Associated Press reached out to Yamagato Industries to see if there were plans for the tech giant to take over the California Safe Zone (on top of their extant New York and SEA-TAC Safe Zone projects) but they did not immediately respond for comment.