As the sun burned through an overcast sky midday Thursday, Fruitvale looked festive, but a pall of fear still hung in the air.

Street vendors and brick-and-mortar business owners all said customer traffic was already down this year in general and said Thursday was unusually quiet following news that the federal government was planning a Customs and Border Patrol operation in the Bay Area.

Fruitvale has one of the highest concentrations of immigrants and noncitizens among Oakland neighborhoods, according to census data, and the area is known as the center of Latino community in The Town. Outside the Fruitvale BART Station, where a farmers market is hosted every Thursday, regulars said only about half the typical number of vendors had shown up. Decorations for the Dia de Muertos festival o

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