Oaktown's topics - tribe.net

Parking Meters - Now $2.00 and Enforced Until 8pm

flint — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:57:23 GMT

"The most noticeable increase will be the extra 50 cents drivers will have to plunk down for an hour's worth of parking at meters citywide, bringing the cost to $2. And that pain will be extended. Pending the council's approval, meters will be enforced until 8 p.m. rather than the present cutoff time of 6 p.m."

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_12717359

posted in Oaktown - 22 replies

Saturday Oct 10th Defremery Park 1651 Adeline St. Btw 16th and 18th

mermaidintherudder — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:53:01 GMT

Pharoahe Monch... . free outdoor concert ~ Pharoahe Monch ~

from:
www.facebook.com/event.php

Life is Living is a FREE concert and caucus to affirm urban life through hip hop, intergenerational health, and environmental action. Activities will include:

*Music concert featuring Phroahe Monch, Kev Choice and Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir

*Mighty 4 B-Boy Battle

*The 3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle

*Youth town hall on health care sponsored by President Obama's non-profit wing, Organizing for America

* The Official opening of Town Park featuring Hood Games, a Skate and Bike competition

* Environmental Service Learning project with The Natural Builders

*Living Earth Mandala's by CommuniTree & Aaron Ableman

*Youth sports sponsored by the West Oakland YMCA

*Writing, Visual Art and Fashion Workshops

*Health screening for elders

*Eco-themed children's theater hosted by the West
Oakland Public Library

* Healthy Food/ Healthy Planet models presented by the Oakland Food Connection, City Slicker Farms, Food and Water Watch, and The People's Grocery

*Altar/Art installation themed "From Bobby Hutton to Oscar Grant" by Oakland artists eesuu, Susie Lundy, Khalil.Anthony, and Githinjie wa Mbire

*Music by Dj Sake One and Dj Leydis

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Organic grocery opens in West Oakland!

Jeckle — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:43:29 GMT

Awesome news, imho.

Some of you may recall the struggle about the retail space in the Mandela Gateway development across from the West Oakland BART - a 99cent store chain and an organic food co-op wanting to use the biggest storefront. Well, the chain won, but the co-op got a smaler space down the block, and after a lot of prep time the Mandela Foods Cooperative has finally opened, and it's really really cool.

The prices are about the same as the Berkely Bowl, far cheaper than Whole Paycheck for most things. They're still not fully stocked - apparently they decided it was better to open the doors sooner rather than later, but they've got vegetables, dairy, and meat. They don't stock fresh baked bread yet, but I've been told that they're working out a deal to carry Arizmendi baked goods, which would be awesome.

So please help support the only real grocery store in West Oakland. I really hope this experiment suceeds.

They even got a website: http://www.mandelafoods.com/index.html

posted in Oaktown - 16 replies

Oakland Marathon

mrcurtain — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:36:35 GMT

It's pretty cool to have a marathon back in Oakland after a 25 year absence.

March 28, 2010

http://www.oaklandmarathon.com/site10.aspx

posted in Oaktown - 13 replies

decent consignment shops

Snake Lynne — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:39:15 GMT

I have some things I would like to take to consignment. I Was thinking maribel on Lakeshore, but my items are not designer. But they are definitely more high end then Buffalo or Crossroads will give me money for.

Thanks!

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Grooves in the Park FREE day party Saturday Aug 29th

Mobber — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:23:56 GMT

My homies are doing the season closer this Saturday the 29th at MLK Shoreline Park off Doolitle as always. Come out!

Bring your kids, dogs, drums, chairs, frisbies or whatever! It's an awesome park.

BYOBBBBBBBB(Beer, BBQ, Buds, Blunts, Blankets, Bongos, and Beezies)

Fully permitted, beautiful location, live drums, music, dancing and bbq pits.

Check my website for more info! Might have to go down a few post.
http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

what's up with the rent-a-cop types uptown/downtown/by the lake?

mahf-man — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:26:48 GMT

you seen these guys? they wear blue and walk around doing absolutely nothing at all but saying hello to people. i gather they're supposed to be some kind of security something or other, but they seriously do NOTHING but say hi and check out my ass on my morning walk to work.

they walk around in pairs, shooting the shit. who's paying their salary?

anyone know the deal?

posted in Oaktown - 12 replies

Careful out there

robyn-fantastica — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:00:15 GMT

Last night a friend was held up by gun point near the Whole Foods in Adams Point. The police told her that it's been happening quite often over the last week. The guy drives a janky Jeep Cherokee and stops people to ask for directions to the hospital.

Fortunately, she's OK, but shaken up.

Also, there have been some stickups in the North Oakland area between College and Telegraph. One I heard about was a woman who was walking with her child in a stroller was held up.

Keep your wits about you everybody.

posted in Oaktown - 21 replies

Parking info off the Temescal list

dmacleay — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:58:35 GMT

1a.
New parking enforcement/harassment rules
Posted by: "Michael Lasevich" mlasevich@gmail.com lasevich
Tue Jul 14, 2009 6:57 pm (PDT)

I am not sure if I am the only one caught unawares by this, but apparently
Oakland City Council just gave us a new present - higher parking and ticket
fees, later working meters (most meters are now till 8pm!!!) and extra
brigades ticketing anything that does not move (I was wondering why I got a
ticket for parking IN MY DRIVEWAY).

There is an article here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/14/BAAM18MKTA.DTL&tsp=1but
the short of it is:

*Meter parking in most areas: *until 8 p.m. (6 p.m.)

*Expired meter: *$55 ($45)

*Parking on a sidewalk: *$100 ($30) (this one apparently covers your
driveway if the meter maid feels under quota)

*Double parking: *$75 ($30)

*No parking in a driveway: *$85 ($30)

*Parking within 3 feet of a sidewalk access ramp: *$330 (none)

So, perhaps you might want to be aware of this when driving to Piedmont Ave
or 51st/Telegraph areas. I am guessing we are about to start to see a lot
more stores for rent around here....

-Michael

posted in Oaktown - 3 replies

New Circus & Fitness School Coming to OAKLAND!

Kinetic Arts Center — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:35:50 GMT

Great News! We have signed the lease on our NEW SPACE!

We will be located right off the 880/980 fwys, walking distance from bart & on bus lines at the meeting of Downtown, West Oakland and Jack London Sq!

We still have a couple weeks until we can get inside to do build outs but we are so excited! Opening Sept 2009!

Check out our website and follow our progress as we grow!
www.kineticartscenter.com

Happy Summer to You!
Kinetic Arts Center!

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Places to live near Lake Merritt

sojourness — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:14:18 GMT

I live in an expensive apartment a block from Lakeshore Ave. that I need to vacate. I've been looking at listings but don't know anything about the nearby neighborhoods. Tuxedo seems to have good prices for what they are offering (it's between E. 21St. and the 580, and bordered by 14th Ave. and 23rd Ave.)

Does anyone know anything about this area? Or Bella Vista? Or Glenview?

Thanks.

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

7/15-7/18 Crucible Fire Arts Festival

alih — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:10:11 GMT

This is always SUCH fun.
Tickets go up in price each night (cheapest on Weds 7/15, priciest on Sat 7/18).

http://thecrucible.org/events/fire-arts-festival/157

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

New to Tribe!

Passion Parties By Hope, Bay Area — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:51:46 GMT

Hello! I am new to this site and looking to connect with some other fun locals and small business owners. I do Passion Parties! Add me as a friend.

posted in Oaktown - 3 replies

berkeley city college

Bcc — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:03:06 GMT

Dear business friends,
Berkeley City College offers excellent business programs for staff and managers of small and mid-sized businesses in our community. We offer courses in Accounting, Business Administration, International Business, General Business and Office Technology. Our courses are flexible and there is a variety to choose from. You can upgrade your skills or train for jobs such as customer services manager, office manager, small business proprietor, or administrative assistant, to name only a few! If you are a California resident, community college enrollment fees are only $20 per unit. Financial aid is available. Let your friends and coworkers know about fall business classes at BCC. Go to www.berkeleycitycollege.edu for more details.

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Why are there so many bad drivers in oakland...i just saw the most horrific accident

Snake Lynne — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:46:55 GMT

I watched some lady turn left on to SunnySlope from Grand and its a one way....She hit a pedestrian and hit the oncoming car. The pedestrian was lying on the ground, the woman in the car they she hit face was all bloody, and the woman who caused the accident was fine. Well I dont if 100% fine, but she was walking around freaking the fuck out. Her car was over on its side, she took out the sunnyslope street sign and took out the green electrical box on the side.
I gave the police my statement and clearly saying that it was the womans fault.

Man that took a lot out of me to watch that. My stomach was flip flopping.

And this morning when I was driving some woman cut me off, badly to where I had to swerve to avoid hitting her, I had to slam on my brakes, then when she realized she got in a slow lane, she got back over behind me and rode my bumper. I slammed on my brakes to get her to back off. And what does she do, she follows me into the Longs Parking lot on 51st and starts threatening me...So happy cops were at Jamba juice, they came over and I told them I was scared that she might attack me...ha ha ha ha. All they did was tell her to leave me alone and I made the cops stay with me until she drove out of the lot.

At least once a week I see some jackass nearly cause and accident.....why are people such shitty drivers in Oakland?

Just ranting and raving here. Please feel free to do the same...

posted in Oaktown - 8 replies

Cross's (and Yours) Community

CrossSidhe — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:12:31 GMT

Hey Every People!!!

I am planning to hold socials all through the year. They will be similar (but not at the same time) as the East Bay Burner's Get Togethers. They socials will include pub hoping, live music, restauranting, walks, hikes, bikings, etc. Many of these socials will be family friendly. If you are interested in such a think please let me know.

Cross

=:)

posted in Oaktown - 4 replies

Free Outdoor "I Like The Parkway" Movie Night - TONIGHT

mrcurtain — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:38:50 GMT

It looks like the Parkway could actually be reopened soon. But here's your chance to show your support for the theater, see the live music, and watch a free movie.

Details here:

http://ymlp.com/zJl3Oy

P.S. Apologies to Cross for the scheduling conflict. It as coincidental.

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Cross's (And Your) Community First Get Together - SAT June 13

CrossSidhe — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:44:30 GMT

Cross's (And Your) Community First Get Together - SAT June 13

That is right folks!!! Our first get together!!! How about some live music and some good ale? Lets meet at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. I will be there around 8:00 PM (before cover charge) to get us a table. I will be wearing tie-die. Just let me know if you can make it.

Cover will be $8 after 9:00 PM. Music starts at 9:00 PM too.

There is also a Cross's (And Your) Comminity) Tribe:

tribes.tribe.net/crossyourcommunity

Cross

=:)

Sat June 13th.

Starry Plough Pub
Phone: (510) 841-2082
Address: 3101 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705
Website: www.starryploughpub.com
Cover: $8 Free before 9:00 PM

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Four Square At Rockridge BART!

Four Square Of The East Bay — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:16:32 GMT

Ever wanted to recapture your childhood? Ever wanted to see how you'd do at playground games as an adult? Ever wanted to hangout in a parking lot, listen to music and talk to people? THEN THIS IS THE EVENT FOR YOU!

4 SQUARE (the game)!
MONDAY AND THURSDAY!
9PM!
THE ROCKRIDGE BART STATION PARKING LOT (the south end)!

In a sinking economy, become a part of a growing community that plays free games around the East Bay. Inspired by the Society for Creative Anachronism, Bike Polo and Oakland Capture the Flag, 4 Square of the East Bay is a loosely organized group of individuals who like to gather and have some old fashion, good, clean, FREE fun! All ages are welcome, all styles are encouraged...

4 Square is a game played with a bouncy rubber playground ball where one big square (16ft x 16 ft) is divided equally in to four sections (8ft x 8ft) and labeled A, B, C & D. The ball is served from the player in A square and when it bounces in a players square, they must physically return it to another player's square. Balls hit out of the big square or back into one's own square result in that player being out. Players enter in through D square and must work their way up to A square. Once in A square, the player serves the ball to any other square and can make up rules that suit them (ie. everyone must play with one hand OR you must spin after each hit OR as you hit the ball you must yell out a country of the world etc). Rules are meant to be fun and challenging, not to give anyone a particular advantage. That being said, there are some standing basic rules to our game...

Basic rules for 4 Square of the East Bay:
1) You can't get out on a serve (AKA no aces). It sucks to get out when you first get in.
2) If you hit the ball out, but two people play on the ball then the game keeps going like you were never out. If you hit the ball out and two people DON'T play on it (ie the person to hit it after you hits it out OR the second person stops play) YOU are the one who is out.
3) If a ball hits an outer line, the hit is IN and should be played on.
4) A Square has the final say in all rulings. They can call do-overs or duels and are generally right in all things. Unless the crowd boos them thus pressuring to change their ruling ;-)
5) If a ball bounces into someone's square, let them return it. Don't get in the way of a ball someone can hit or they'll call 'interference' on you either resulting in a do-over or a duel.
6) If you intercept the ball in the air before it hits the pavement in your square, that counts as hitting the ground. Put that ball directly in to someone else's square because if you hit it into your square, YOU'RE OUT.
7) If there is a conflict or dispute, this is usually solved by a DUEL which is a 2 Square battle between the arguing parties, set off by three good and fair hits before trying to get each other out.
8) DON'T BE A JERK! Instead, seek to be excellent. A certain level of competition is to be expected but you're not gonna make any friends by proving to everyone that you can slam a ball over their heads. Remember, it's a kid's game, so don't get bent out of shape. It's not a good look.
9) HAVE FUN! Be flexible and allow people to be themselves. Not everyone's style of play is going to look the same, so come through with an open mind and open heart and let the game flow...

This might seem like a lot, but in reality, it's not. It's all for the sake of fun :) If you have questions, email us at 4squareeastbay@gmail.com. If you wanna see what we are all about, show up. Friend us at myspace.com/4squareeastbay or find us on going.com. Tell your folks about it, forward this around to your networks and remember to relax and smile! Spring is almost here, so let's take advantage. It doesn't cost anything to have a good time...

You can also find us on facebook if you search for FourSquare EastBay and on myspace @ www.myspace.com/4squareeastbay

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

New circus community starting in the East Bay!

Kinetic Arts Center — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:29:58 GMT

Hi folks,

We are excited to report Kinetic Arts Center is set to open soon in the East Bay!

The Kinetic Arts Center produces inspiring circus, physical theatre & fitness programs.
We will provide:
* Fitness classes designed for every fitness level,
* Continuous circus and physical theatre productions,
* Professional circus and physical theatre training,
* A warm welcoming environment where artists inspire each other.

Check out our website and join our mailing list! www.kineticartscenter.com
Also, join us on tribe - http://people.tribe.net/0c47f3c9-6867-464e-b0bc-9a7e47376fa9

Best wishes,
Kinetic Arts Center

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Dellums demands pay raise

alih — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:23:54 GMT

How do we go about impeaching this guy?
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/dellums_demands_a_pay_raise_/Content?oid=971135

posted in Oaktown - 8 replies

Downtown Oakland Capture the Flag Game Tonight!

Vaudie Va-Boom! — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:22:57 GMT

http://sf.funcheap.com/2009/04/30/take-over-downtown-oakland-with-giant-capture-the-flag-game/

Come join the fun!

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Tonight! "Reality Playings": experiments in experience/participation performance

Corey — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:25:10 GMT

This is an amazing performance series in the Temescal area of Oakland ...

The Underground Hit!

REALITY PLAYINGS: experiments in experience/participation performance

Frank Moore, world-known shaman performance artist, will conduct improvised passions of musicians, actors, dancers, and audience members in a laboratory setting to create altered realities of fusion beyond taboos. Bring your passions and musical instruments and your senses of adventure and humor. Other than that, ADMISSION IS FREE! (But donations will be accepted.)

Saturday, April 18, 2009
8pm
TEMESCAL ARTS CENTER
511 48th Street
Oakland, CA 94609-2058
For more information
Call: 510-526-7858
email: fmoore@eroplay.com
http://www.eroplay.com/events.html
http://www.temescalartscenter.org/

"...He's wonderful and hilarious and knows exactly what it's all about and has earned my undying respect. What he's doing is impossible, and he knows it. That's good art...." L.A. Weekly

Resisting "the easy and superficial descriptions..., Moore's work challenges the consensus view more strongly in ways less acceptable than...angry tirades and bitter attacks on consumer culture." Chicago New City

"If performance art has a radical edge, it has to be Frank Moore." Cleveland Edition

"Transformative..." Moore "is thwarting nature in an astonishing manner, and is fusing art, ritual and religion in ways the Eurocentric world has only dim memories of. Espousing a kind of paganism without bite and aggression, Frank Moore is indeed worth watching." High Performance Magazine

"Surely wonderful and mind-goosing experience." L.A. Reader

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

We're having a benefit RAVE at Mezzanine April 24th

firstperson — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:21:52 GMT

drop out with us...

featuring some original Berlin techno artists Gudrun Gut from the legendary Einstuerzende Neubauten and Malaria!
Thomas Fehlmann from Kompakt Records
and new local artist, Greco Guggenheit.

and just announced Nate Boyce

check
Nateboyce.net
myspace.com/ggut
myspace.com/thomasfehlmann
myspace.com/thingsoft

xxxxoooooSF!!!
(Benefitting local independent arts publications)
Thank YOU!!!

$10 before 10pm / $15 after til late...

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Ex-drug lord gunned down 60th and Adeline

RadicalFun — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 19:15:23 GMT

From Inside Bay Area:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_4764748

Former notorious drug lord gunned down
By Harry Harris and, William Brand, STAFF WRITERS
Article Last Updated:12/03/2006 02:33:12 AM PST

OAKLAND - Rudolph "Rudy" Henderson, who at one time was considered one of Oakland's most powerful narcotics dealers, was shot to death Saturday, while sitting in a vehicle outside a North Oakland restaurant.

Two other people with him were not injured, police said. They drove him to Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley, where he died at 4:43 p.m. He was 57.

The slaying came eight months after Henderson's son, Rudolph Henderson Jr., 25, was shot to death in a car-jacking in East Oakland. At this point, police do not believe the killings are connected.

The shooting of Rudy Henderson Sr. occurred about 5 p.m. in the 800 block of 60th Street.

After completing a lengthy 1989 federal prison sentence for possession of cocaine, Henderson moved to Antioch and opened a used-car business. His son was in one of his used cars, a 1992 Lexus, in the 7000 block Hamilton Street, when he was killed March 23.

Police said Henderson Sr. recently had moved from Antioch to Richmond. For several years in the 1980s, Rudolph Sr. was regarded as Oakland's biggest drug dealer.

Those years made him a wealthy man. At one point, he owned a lavish Sonoma County ridge-top estate with a 6,400-square-foot mansion.

He rose to prominence in the narcotics world, investigators said, when he took over the Oakland cocaine trade after notorious drug lord Felix Mitchell was sent to prison in 1985.

Henderson was indicted by a federal grand jury following a massive three-county
Advertisement
raid in 1987. The search hit 20 addresses, using information obtained from a court-approved wire tap on phones at a North Oakland house that federal agents said was the nerve center of Henderson's drug operation.

In one of the searches, at a Danville address, officers found firearms and what appeared to be a ledger of drug sales.

Henderson was indicted on 29 counts of selling cocaine and illegal weapons possession. He also was charged with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, which carried a potential life sentence.

In January 1989, he changed his plea to guilty of cocaine possession in a plea bargain. He agreed to hand over his million-dollar Sonoma County estate and his vintage automobile collection to the feds. Money from the sale was used to offset $512,000 in income taxes Henderson owed, the government said.

He was sentenced in April 1989 to 25 years in prison and fined $200,000. His sister, Carolyn, and four other members of his operation were sentenced the same day.

posted in Oaktown - 18 replies

The Parkway Speakeasy Theater Closes This Sunday 3/22/09

thriver — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:19:19 GMT

Sad news my friends...

THE PARKWAY SPEAKEASY THEATER CLOSES ITS DOORS
AND GOES DARK FOR GOOD THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2009:
THE END OF AN ERA

Dear Loyal Supporters:

This is a sad but true message from Kyle Fischer, CEO of Speakeasy Theaters, and Catherine Fischer, President of Speakeasy Theaters.

After more than twelve years of serving the great cultural crossroad of Oakland, the Parkway Speakeasy Theater will be closing at the end of business day this Sunday, March 22, 2009. From African Diaspora to Thrillville to lesbian fashion shows and educational porn, the Parkway has offered an eclectic array of movies and events. It was the first theater in California to offer food, beer and wine service in a lounge style movie theater. With a nudge or a push from the community, there was little programming the Parkway theater would not try in order to better be a community center and a safe haven for diverse ideas. The Parkway brought Baby Brigade for the shuttered and abandoned parents of newborns, the first international black gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender film festival and Sunday Salon, a free event for cultural and community enhancement. We, at the Parkway Speakeasy Theater, are deeply proud of the Parkway and will profoundly miss serving its community. Thank you for your patronage.

Programming at Parkway will remain as scheduled this Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21. Stay tuned for special announcements about this Sunday, the final day of operations.

The Speakeasy Experience lives on at the Cerrito. Most special events booked for Parkway, including regular attractions like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," will be moving there. Stay tuned to our web site and this newsletter for updates.

Please direct all inquiries to Kyle Fischer, kf@speakeasytheaters.com. Messages should be brief and pertinent, out of respect for this difficult reality, but will be appreciated. This is a tough time for all of us.

Cheers.

posted in Oaktown - 6 replies

any updates on the OPD gun battle?

toomanyTomcats — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:50:30 GMT

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/21/BAVB16KU75.DTL

I heard 2 of them died, then heard all died, but nothing confirmed via media.

posted in Oaktown - 4 replies

WE MADE IT - Now for the first Nimby Party (feb 21st)

flint — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:29:42 GMT

Live Music | Incredible Art | Giant Sculpture in a new space for the world famous NIMBY.

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

Boy Chaous, Big Daddy, Dj Caine, Derailleurs, Los Banos, The Disgusting Spectacle, The Turks, Therm Robots, Tilt a hurl, Fluff grrl, It’s so $$$$, Carp Van, Cookie Mongoloid, Orion Fredricks, Phat Man Dee, Goat Man Dan, X TEN, & Binky.

Come on out. Doors open at dark. $10 Donation.

http://www.nimbyspace.org/

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Shadow Society roll call

c_death — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:47:37 GMT

who is going?

I will be there!!! but will leave early due to work and broken car (I hate AC Transit, please car gods, allow me to fix my car).

Hope to see you all there. Come out come out and play

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Misconduct by Jerry Brown, Ron Dellums, all the way down to Barack Obama led to the deaths of Oscar Grant, III, and WHO KNOWS WHO ELSE DIED?

Bob — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:05:36 GMT

I am Bob, 57, into Burning Man events and any several cultural media, including sports and music. Feed birds and find out WHY you want to include me in events, as a friend, or not, since I am hard bird-team.

Dire times are here, again! You may want media and a playa, who is tough enough to bear upon or who will bear down on a target, both. Be a friend, check out the vibes, since some of you all call yourselves what I may have been or am about to be, for an instant, only, got CHESTER F. AWALT H.S.? Now called Mtn.View H.S., this used to be Che High, in Disturbia, would you believe, class of 1969, me!

Burning Man busted its best artist, in 2008, when one of them pyro'd the wood, too early, to foreshadow what will happen to bail-sail-fail superstar, Barack (Black Hole Sun) Obama, see also ARNOLD J. RIMMER, with an 'H' on his forehead to remind him what an insane Hussein he is, for causing the Barack H. Obama-memorial radiation leak, on board the RED DWARF mining spacecraft, deja vu, see also Chris Barrie, lately Angela Jolie's butler in LAURA CROFT, Tomb-Raider.

Get it on, since the man is on fire, already. CAN YOU AFFORD NEVADA ASS-HATS? I CANNOT AFFORD NEVADA ASS-HATS! So what do you need burned, already?

GET REAL, persons who are not from California and who need to notice CPC 404 and subsections, which you violate with aggravated Mann Act infractions, evaded in re US Code, particularly Title 18 and US Constitution, but also all laws and codes, applicable, are evaded.

Obama affected OG III Fruitvale BART shooting, 1/1/2009
Check out my political writings, such as this 360.yahoo/bobgnote blog entry regarding the Oscar Grant III homicide, about to get green briefed by my habeas petition, at least:

On January 1, 2009, BART police beat then shot Oscar Grant, III. This was not the only killing, incited by President-elect BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, since his October 15, 2008 Debate III debacle, when he let McCain blow by how the power deals are 'robbing us of our wealth,' with media blockbuster JOE THE PLUMBER, so YouTube needs to know:

Obama won't admit Jews are from Ethiopia yet, so we could get nuked up the Zuke over Is it real. But in the meantime, he let the Republicans cook the election, he chased Blago, Palis shot rockets, Illinois disputed Burris, and so cops shot OG III and at least several other young black men, about 22 or 23 years old, NOT JUST OSCAR.

So when I told John Burris about my need for joinder in re C07 01399 SBA, he had his secretary blow me off. Obama is OFF. Let me tell you why stuff catches on fire!

Obama also incited his Grandmother Madeleine Dunham to call him to her Hawaiian deathbed, to hear how he was actually born in Kenya, a reference to his apparent corruption, on TV.

The $100,000 toolbag floated away from the Shuttle, and Blago referred to this, in his call to Rahm Emanuel, who reacted like the usual Obama gangsters do it, with a dirty trick and a purge, for King Dick the 7th. The billion dollar campaign got to Blago, or he wouldn't be lying down, for the trials.

Gangster Obama sold hundreds of offices and measures to the Republicans, let Joe Wurzelbacher blow past Joe Biden, and the world explodes! GET A CLUE, this isn't over, yet.

Look, TUBERS! Read this, get the bigger picture, take some action:

Obama fronted deregulated energy until Debate 3, 10/15/2008. He said they were 'robbing us of our wealth,' but he let McCain and Joe W. claim offices and measures!

A $100K toolbag floated, Granny Maddie died and said B.O. is Kenyan, and after the election, Blago complained and got chased.

Mumbai rocked, Palis rocketed, COPS STARTED SHOOTING YOUNG BLACK MEN, 22 years old, worse than their usual, seasonal abuse, during oppression, for tyrants, inc. John Burris blew me off, and murderer Johan Mehserle walks, WITH THE SEVERAL OTHER OBAMA-RELATED COPS WHO KILLED AT THE END OF 2008 AND INTO 2009, as if Johnny Burris has ALL the police happily shagging Wanda and blasting other young black guys, without some sort of properly notified court!

JOHN AND ROLAND BURRIS and all the other dangerous dicks or nixers or whatever need to smarten up and retire, from hazard and from incitement of riot, by aggravated Mann Act infractions, to incite riot, in the several states, as seditious conspiracy, see 18 U.S.C. and CPC 404, with Prop.64-affected CBPC 17206 neglected, for class recovery of unfair business infractions, illegally confiscated by Governor Schwarzenegger and all who illegally submitted Prop.64 and all other bills of attainder, for relief and rehabilitation, OR PURGE.

See 360.yahoo/bobgnote.

WHY DOES OBAMA FEAR TRUTH?

Because James Brown found out B.O. was selling out to energy and media and cops, James Brown died, mysteriously. And then Obama's private school and corporate geeks kept me and my energy information out of his campaign.

James Brown found out, Obama would support W.E.S. exemptions, for ripoff, inc., like WB and ATT and FOX and MSN, so corporations could put up fakers, like Eagles and Earth, Wind, and Fire, AC-ZZ, frauds, all, in competition with James Brown and the Band of Renown. HOW GROSS WILL THIS OBAMA-OAKLAND MESS GET?

CAL was the place many of the Nixon-Carter-Reagan surveillance acts duped. Jerry Brown doinked Linda R. in Africa, Redford made it with Geffen-bird Barbra, in the movies, to lampoon Brown's everlasting corruption, as bad as any movie companies, which inhale spin leverage and churn cases, to ensure perverse features, would you believe?!

But worse, JB found out Obama was cooking with Betty Nguyen of CNN, at the end of 2006, and he died, beaten from knowing he used to fine his dancers and backup singers $25, bindle money for any coke-head like Barack Obama or James Brown, but Obama was selling out the world, fronting for Republican positions, burning the world, while spanking it for Hillary, whose hubby Bill signed NAFTA and deregulation of energy, Bush hid the inflation, and now, Obama is fronting for bail and sail economics.

Any fool or Michelle Obama should be able to see, you re-regulate BEFORE you bail or stimulate the illegal interests, with more illegal funding or cost-passing opportunities. BUT NOBODY REACTS, among millions of bureaucrats and media, charged with representation.

At inauguration, FOX fronted for the burning of James Brown, with Cleveland Browns step-child Jim Brown, who needs to go see Eddie Griffin get past Jim's and everybody's other brother, Richard Pryor. It's a DICKY-DICK WORLD, Jim. Take a knee:

Obama fronted deregulated energy until Debate 3, 10/15/2008. He said they were 'robbing us of our wealth,' but he let McCain and Joe W. claim offices and measures! A $100K toolbag floated, Granny Maddie died and said B.O. is Kenyan, and after the election, Blago complained and got chased. Mumbai rocked, Palis rocketed, COPS STARTED SHOOTING YOUNG BLACK MEN, 22 years old, worse than the usual, seasonal abuse.

Gaza and Oaktown BURNED, only partly, for Dellumses and Reagans and any seven KING DICKS, evading review, with Jimmy-jim Brown waving at the smear he helped make.

posted in Oaktown - 21 replies

Bay Celtic Music and Dance Festival Sat Feb 21 Oakland Veterans Hall

scott — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:04:41 GMT

The San Francisco Bay Area Celtic Music and Dance Festival is happening this Saturday, February 21st at the Oakland Veterans Hall 200 Grand Avenue Oakland, 94610, X Harrison.

BayCeltic is an annual reunion of Bay Area Celtic musicians, singers, dancers and performers.

We have a wide range of very popular and well established musicians and performers.

The Black Brothers, Tempest, Molly's Revenge, Cullan's Hounds,Avalon Rising, Steve Baughman,and Siamsa, a bay area Celtic dance performance group, are in the main Ballroom.

In the musical showcase, new and emerging bands and musicians are are Three Mile Stone, Jim Nelson,Patrice Haan,Megan McLaughlin,Valerie Rose,West of Shannon,Susan Mashiyama and Lani Herrmann.

Steve Baughman will perform and lead the music session afterwards.

Dancing in the Dance Hall are an Irish Ceilidh with Ammy Hill, Irish Set dancing with Michael Murphy, hard shoes introductory dance class with Shirleigh Brannan.

We will have waltz and polka and irish dancing at 10pm to Culann's Hounds.

Lunchroom downstairs and Celtic vendors also.

The website is www.BayCeltic.com

Tickets available at the door: $20 general, $10 students, free under 12, $10 after 9:30 to waltz and polka dancing to Culann's Hounds

contact Scott at scottFNW@pway.com

posted in Oaktown - 12 replies

the other Oakland industry

toomanyTomcats — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:20:00 GMT

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_11568039?source=most_viewed

Huge Ecstasy bust in West Oakland
By Harry Harris
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/27/2009 07:30:36 PM PST
Updated: 01/28/2009 06:55:33 AM PST

In one of the largest Ecstasy seizures ever in California, 45 kilograms of the drug with a minimum street value of almost $2 million were found at a West Oakland house Friday during a series of law enforcement raids from Willits to the East Bay, authorities said Tuesday.

Besides the powder form of the drug found in Oakland, a huge manufacturing lab was dismantled in Willits in Mendocino County, and at least nine people, including the ringleader suspect from El Cerrito, his brother and two Emeryville residents, were arrested.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown said the suspects were part of a "dangerous drug ring" that operated Ecstasy labs around Northern California. Brown said the ring "posed a threat to
Related

Besides the Ecstasy powder, authorities found 28 pounds of hallucinogenic mushrooms, 30 pounds of marijuana and $531,000 in cash at the West Oakland house in the 1000 block of 39th Street. At a warehouse on Yerba Buena Avenue in Emeryville, authorities found 50 marijuana plants and what is suspected to be LSD in powder and liquid form.

State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement Special Agent in Charge John George said Tuesday the powder seized could be used to make at least 88,000 Ecstasy pills that could sell for $15 to $40 each. He said the mushrooms had a street value of at least $156,000 and the marijuana at least $90,000.

Arrested at the Oakland house were Leon Haskell, 34, and Tappie Dufresne,

37, of Emeryville.

The series of raids culminated an investigation that began in November. The state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement initially teamed with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office after an anonymous tip alerted agents to a possible lab operating in Mendocino County.

Agents monitored the site and identified the cook as Jonathan Passel, 46, of El Cerrito, whom George said is the ringleader suspect. He was followed to several locations, including the Oakland residence, residences in Willits, Redwood Valley and El Cerrito, and warehouses in San Rafael and Emeryville, agents said.

Based on surveillance and other evidence, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agents, the West Contra Costa County Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force and seven other Northern California police agencies served nine warrants Friday in four counties.

Passel was arrested at what police say is the Mendocino County lab site.

Agents there seized a .45-caliber pistol, thousands of dollars worth of chemicals, commercial-grade laboratory glassware, and more than 100 gallons of toxic, poisonous and flammable liquids and solids. Hazardous chemicals and laboratory equipment filled 40 large barrels.

Paul Passel, 64, Jonathan Passel's brother, was arrested at a house in the 1800 block of Key Boulevard in El Cerrito but was cited at the scene and released due to medical issues. Agents seized 11/2 pounds of marijuana and lab glassware at the residence.

None of the suspects would talk to authorities. They were booked at Mendocino County Jail on suspicion of a variety of charges, including manufacturing and possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy, authorities said.

posted in Oaktown - 15 replies

Cop Kills Young Handcuffed Black Man - see the video, come protest, wed. 1/7, 3-8pm Fruitvale BART

arize — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:25:22 GMT

http://www.ktvu.com/video/18409133/index.html

this is utterly outrageous! there was NO REASON for that cop to take his gun out! If you have any doubts about being outraged at this incident, watch the video again. this is RIDICULOUS!!!!

come join forces with the diversity that is oakland and protest this blatantly heartless murder.
for more info:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnote.php%3Fnote_id%3D58495126592%23%2Fevent.php%3Feid%3D44010802156&h=8f3368095c87779f3102b1d45ceab7ec
or http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/05/18558825.php

posted in Oaktown - 160 replies

A Hula for Barack Obama

mahealani — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:32:59 GMT

Hawai'i Music Award Winner
Mahealani Uchiyama
celebrates the release of her latest CD
"A Walk by the Sea".

Featuring high energy Polynesian dance performances,
sweet, soulful island sounds,
and the debut of an original hula in honor of
President Barack Obama!

8:00PM, Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Admission: $10

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center
1317 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley

510.525.5054

Where is your mountain?
What is your river?
How did you come here?

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

New!!! Somatic Bodywork Practice in Oakland!

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:38:33 GMT

Greetings!

I have opened an Integrative Bodywork practice in Oakland. Please, feel free to check out my profile to learn more about my practice. Or you can go directly to my website: www.peaceandhealing.vpweb.com

Blessings,

* ilahi *
Founder of Peace & Healing Wellness Practice

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

And in Other Oakland News- Dellums Intern Has Her 15 Seconds of Fame!

toomanyTomcats — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:26:44 GMT

Former mayor's office intern charged with six felonies
By Harry Harris
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/27/2009 05:00:00 PM PST

OAKLAND - A former intern in Mayor Ron Dellums' office has pleaded not guilty to felony criminal charges that she used credit card information from two mayoral staff members and the law firm where she used to work to run up more than $15,000 in unauthorized purchases.

Besides four counts of grand theft by credit card, Phelicia Williams, 26, of Oakland, is charged with one count of identity theft and one count of possession of stolen property - a binder police found in her apartment contained more than 100 photocopied checks written by people or organizations that donated to the 2007 Mayor's Holiday Toy Drive.

Police said there were some instances of "compromise" on some of the checking accounts, including those of some police officers, but no large sums were lost.

There was not enough evidence to positively link Williams to that, however, authorities said.

Williams, who was arrested Jan. 20 on a $60,000 warrant, pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday.

She has refused to talk to investigators, said Officer Steve Chavez, who with Sgt. Simon Rhee has been investigating Williams since October. She first was arrested Oct. 12 on a probable cause warrant but was released while police gathered more evidence against her. She is free on bail pending her next court appearance, Feb. 17.

Oakland attorney Robert Beles, who is representing Williams, said Tuesday he has not seen all the police reports and other evidence and until he does he declined to comment further.

One of the grand theft charges resulted from when Williams worked at the Oakland law firm Price and Associates.

Unbeknown to the law firm when they hired her as a paralegal in July 2007, Williams was on probation for a 2005 forgery conviction, police said.

She is charged with using firm credit cards to make more than $7,000 in unauthorized purchases, including clothing and sporting event tickets.

Before Williams was fired from the law firm, she got a job as an intern in the mayor's office, which also did not know she was on probation, authorities said.

Three of the grand theft charges stem from her time at the mayor's office.

Police suspect she was able to get credit card information about two mayoral staff members and the husband of one of the staff members by going through their purses.

That information was used to obtain tickets to sporting events, an airline ticket to Las Vegas and a $1,705 computer and software package, among other items, police said.

She left the mayor's office in September 2008, supposedly for a job in another law firm. It was while police were investigating the law firm case that they served a search warrant at Williams' home and found the toy drive binder.

After building their case against her, Chavez and Rhee obtained a $60,000 warrant for her arrest Jan. 20. Officer Curtis Filbert went to the home of a relative of Williams.

Williams was not there, but she was contacted by the relative and agreed to surrender to police at a downtown location. Besides refusing to talk to investigators about the charges against her, she also refused to tell them where she had been working, police said.

After Williams was arrested in October, Dellums spokesman Paul Rose said the mayor's office had moved to tighten up its vetting policies for interns as well as its financial controls over accounts like the one used for the toy drive.

Staff writer Kelly Rayburn contributed to this report.

www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_11566735

posted in Oaktown - 3 replies

Inauguration Day

mrcurtain — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:49:42 GMT

What's going on?

posted in Oaktown - 16 replies

Will you Guys knock it off?

toomanyTomcats — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:06:01 GMT

I'm hearing there's some 'escalation' of property damage and police presence in O town.

posted in Oaktown - 4 replies

Oakland Riots.... why?

Mobber — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:46:18 GMT

I wrote a blog entry about this with some photos I found.

http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

New Years Eve Party off Fruitvale near McArthur.

Mobber — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:24:52 GMT

Hey guys, my friend is throwing a party and I know there are good peoples on here in the local area that might not have anything planned.
Or maybe you don't want to drive to SF and get a DUI or spend hundreds of dollars on clubs and such.

Here you go. Hope to see some of you out there.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/4847/nyeateswebhd8.jpg

posted in Oaktown - 5 replies

2009 Oakland Calendars!

Mobber — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:52:59 GMT

I just put these up, you may want one for your office or for a buddy for Christmas.
Thanks for checking em out! (yes they are all my photos)

http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/oakland-2009-calendars/

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

Oakland Shelter Animals in Danger!!!!!!(PLEAST REPOST!)

alVacado — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 03:38:17 GMT

Oakland Shelter Animals in Danger!!!!!!! (PLEASE REPOST!)

The city of Oakland is requiring a shut-down of all its departments from December 26th through January 2nd. We urgently need to inundate the city officials with emails explaining why the Oakland Animal Shelter CANNOT be required to shut down. Being forced to shut down will have terrible repercussions on animal care and safety at the shelter, and on the community at large.

Talking points for your email/phone calls:

--Based on current incoming rates, the shelter director estimates that 20 animals will need to be euthanized each day due to lack of space if the shelter is forced to shut down. This INCLUDES adoptable animals. With the shelter currently open 7 days a week, we move a lot of animals out to adopters, found animal owners, and rescue groups...if the shelter is forced to close then none of these animals will move out. The shelter will hit capacity quickly, and we will be forced to begin euthanizing animals. The situation is grim and totally unacceptable, and in direct contrast to the shelter's stated policy of making all efforts to avoid euthanasia.

--On 11/26, the first mandated shut-down day for the city of Oakland, it took the two allowed Animal Control Officers all day to perform basic cleaning, feeding and medicating, which is unacceptable treatment for needy animals. If the city requires this for an extended period, the care of the animals is in jeopardy.

--While the shut-down is designed to save money, it will cost Oakland MORE money by closing the shelter! By not allowing medical staff to work during the closure, incoming injured animals will have to be taken to costly outside vets for services and boarding. The two Animal Control Officers allowed to work will be busy cleaning/feeding/medicating the shelter animals, leaving Oakland Police Officers to respond to the many daily animal issues in the field--this is very costly compared to Animal Control Officer wages, and Police Officers aren't trained in dealing with aggressive animals. And with so many calls and services not handled during the shut-down, shelter staff will need to use over-time to respond to a deluge of unhandled business--again, more expensive!

--Because there will be no one to take surrendered animals, our after-hours intake cages (only 8 in total) would be filled all day. This leads to the very real possibility of citizens dumping injured/surrendered animals on the street outside the shelter, leaving them in danger. In addition, police officers will have nowhere to leave after-hours animals that they pick up.

Please send an urgent email to Dan Lindheim, Budget Director at the Mayor's Office at dlindheim@oaklandnet.com, and/or call at (510)
238-6840 to let them know the shelter is different from other city agencies, in caring for HUNDREDS of animals each day, and needs special accommodation during the mandated Oakland shut-down days!

Here are additional folks you can contact with your emails/calls, and encourage others to do the same!

Police Chief:
Chief Wayne G. Tucker
(510) 238-3365
wtucker@oaklandnet.com

City Council Members:

Desley Brooks
(510) 238-7006
dbrooks@oaklandnet.com

Jean Quan
(510) 238-7004
jquan@oaklandnet.com

Pat Kernighan
(510) 238-7002
pkernighan@oaklandnet.com

Ignacio De La Fuente
(510) 238-7005
idelafuente@oaklandnet.com

Nancy Nadel
(510) 238-7003
clstarks@oaklandnet.com

Larry Reid
(510) 238-7007
lreid@oaklandnet.com

Jane Brunner
(510) 238-7001
jbrunner@oaklandnet.com

We hope to weather the storm and keep looking out for all the shelter animals as best we can. Thank you for your help and support!

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

public transit - STA elimination

dfe — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:39:41 GMT

so schwarzenegger is considering eliminating the funding for public transit, to cover his budget. im outraged, but i just sent off enough letters to calm me, for a moment

you can too

please please do

tinyurl.com/californiagovernor
tinyurl.com/californiahouse
tinyurl.com/californiasenate

if youd like to use a copypasta:

"
MAINTAIN THE S.T.A. FUNDING LEVEL FOR THE CURRENT BUDGET YEAR

DO NOT ELIMINATE FUTURE TRANSIT FUNDING

HELP US TO IDENTIFY A SECURE SOURCE OF TRANSIT FUNDING

if you are to eliminate the STA, you will negatively affect california MUCH more than you think. how can you even consider eliminating the STA? that is terrifying! do you have no concern for the planet, for the poor, for the future? are you not aware how incredibly important public transit is now? how monumentally important it will be in the future? its time for more, not less, public transit
"

posted in Oaktown - 25 replies

Another Oakland employer bites the dust

runnz — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:17:51 GMT

APL shipping lines..........

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_11028030?source=rss

340 jobs leave for greener pastures..........

by greener pastures I mean lower taxes, a less restrictive local government etc.

but hey, the good news is that Dellums, Nadel and the like might raise the minimum wage yet again..........why raise it to 100 bucks an hour...........that will fix things.

posted in Oaktown - 6 replies

advance opportunity: adorable Mediterranean bungalow in Oakland's friendliest neighborhood

Janet — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:32:10 GMT

Hi all --

Early in '09 my spouse and I are headed north to Oregon. Once we actually leave, we'll put our home up for sale with a realtor. Rather than pay commissions, though, I'd rather find a private buyer -- someone who can look through the clutter and chaos of a busy household in exchange for a very substantial savings on the purchase price.

The house is a 1939 Mediterranean-revival bungalow: two bedrooms plus a large bonus room, one and a quarter baths, living room with working tiled fireplace, formal dining room with striking arched entryway, plus a basement with laundry and a workbench -- altogether a bit more than 1000 square feet. It backs onto Sausal Creek, one of Oakland's only year-round creeks, and has a large redwood deck and hot tub where you can sit, soak and listen to the creek singing to you. It has a new roof, an updated kitchen, a new water heater, new furnace ductwork to the bedroom and the bonus room.

The neighborhood is one of those little Oakland gems -- hidden away between the Dimond and Glenview districts, walking distance to Farmer Joe's, Peet's, Safeway, and all the little restaurants on Park Blvd. An express bus to downtown San Francisco stops at the bottom of the block a couple of times an hour -- it's probably faster getting to work in SF from here than from many San Francisco neighborhoods. A large outdoor heated pool and several tennis courts are half a block away in Dimond Park.

The neighbors are an eclectic blend of straights and queers, singles and young families, of many different races and ethnicities; we all know each other -- there's even an outdoor pot luck once a week during warm weather.

If you buy before I put the place formally on the market, the asking price is $550,000. (A nearly identical home a block away went for $610,000 back in September, and I'll probably list this one at $575,000.) Almost any of the furniture and appliances can be negotiated as part of the purchase.

Email me at verdie@earthlink.net if you're interested, and we'll set up a time for you to look around.

Janet

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

A documentary on the Muslim bakery crimes

Le4Life — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:56:11 GMT

This is an excellent short documentary!!!! I recommend everyone out there check it out!

http://adaylateinoakland.com/film.php

On the morning of August 2, 2007, a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a shotgun walked up to a local reporter named Chauncey Bailey and shot him three times. It happened in the United States, where a journalist hasn't been murdered for his work since 1993. The next day, 200 police rushed the headquarters of Your Black Muslim Bakery, a business that was long seen as a bastion of black empowerment in Oakland, California. Political and civic leaders embraced the bakery throughout its nearly 40-year history, despite its troubling and hidden legacy of violence and abuse.

Mixing interviews with archival footage, photographs, news clippings, and public documents, A Day Late in Oakland follows Bailey’s life and the evolution of the bakery, from their common roots to their troubling intersection.

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

internets

dfe — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:33:09 GMT

who is the best isp in n oak.? i need a thick connex, fiber or better

at&t is the worst evar...throttling me like a muhfuk, and straight resetting my connection once a minute if i download torrents
the worst part is, they didnt do this stuff when i had the 80$ service

posted in Oaktown - 11 replies

What can we do to make Oakland a better place for all of us?

Joshua — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:19:16 GMT

What do you think would help improve the quality of life in Oakland and how do you think this can be achieved?

Are you working on this already?

posted in Oaktown - 20 replies

Murder Count

eastby4 — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:35:23 GMT

Does anyone know what the count is ??? Is it 105 ??? It is a shame that in this city you can lose count because there are so many.

posted in Oaktown - 33 replies

Parking in downtown Oakland

Niladri — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:45:43 GMT

Hi,
I just moved across the bay to downtown oakland(14th and Alice) and am looking for overnight parking spaces. Any suggestions/recommendations will be much appreciated.

--Nil

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

my voting record:

toomanyTomcats — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:29:01 GMT

I'll keep the presidential choice a secret, but it is prolly obvious which pairing I went with. Here they are:

US Representative, 9th congressional district: Barbara Lee- She's not a bad choice, but it would be nice to have a reasonable challenger. Considering the options of a libertarian and a republican (with Charles Hargrave changing his party affiliation from Libertarian to accept the republican 'nomination'), I have to stick with the incumbent. The 2 write ins that are on smartvoter.org have little if any information online. Same thing with Charles Hargrave- no website, no position paper- not even on the state republican website. James Ayer seems reasoned and rational, but I have an issue with most libertarian candidates and their cries of 'states rights' and 'personal liberties' trumping every argument.

State Senator, 9th district: Loni Hancock- The republican challenger, 'Claudia Bermudez is the daughter of Nicaragua's Col Enrique Bermudez of Dark Alliance fame, who is reputed to have organized the LA based crack-cocaine schemes to re-supply the Nicaragua Contras in the 80's'. I found that on the www.blackvoternet.com website. Yikes. Marsha Feinland from the peace and Freedom party has a great platform but I don't think she will be very effective in the powerstructure to actually get many of those planks enacted.

State Assembly, 16th district: Sandre Swanson- I do think Swanson needs to move on and make some room for a more take-action candidate for his district. James Fasion is a total mess though. For example, his first answer to the Smartvoter.org Issues Review about CA energy independence shows he really does not understand issues. He calls for a 'standard' flat $.25 per gallon of gas tax. That would increase the tax about 6 cents, as the total gas tax -state and federal- is limited to 18 cents per gallon. Yet he thinks it will be reduced. Will his 'research' on other issues be similar, like on abortion, education, basic economic theory, etc?

Oakland City council, at-large: Kerry Hamill- Oakland does not need another Nancy Nadel type vote on the council, at least for the next couple years. Chalk it up to poor timing, but living among the really poor decisions of Nadel and Brunner, I can't add another vote to that. Hamill is widely recognized as a trojan horse for an eventual Mayoral bid by Don Perata. She has much support from De La Fuente. I did not vote for DeLaFuente when he ran for mayor and i think that was a mistake. Dellums has been the most horrible and absent mayor Oakland has seen in a long time. DeLafeunte has his own warts, but I think a lot of the issues Oakland is struggling with would not be so acute. So, lets see what another vote for non wingnutty progressives can do for Oakland.

AC Transit, Director at-Large: Christian Peeples- he will be replacing Rebecca Kaplan, as she is attempting to run for Oakland City Council (see above). I may have made a mistake in this option, as Peeples has been part of the group that spent millions of dollars on the unneeded and poorly designed Van Hool buses, but Joyce Roy strikes me a mercenary candidate- she's running for office with a chip on her shoulder. She seems to be running more out of a personal beef.

AC Transit, Ward 2: James Muhammad- This was a mistake. I can't change my absentee vote at this point. But he's not that bad. He's run 2 times previously and lost, and is running on a financial accountability platform, but I can't find much more about him. AC Transit could use his expertise, but not at the expense of rendering decision making useless at thay level.

BART Director, District 7: Marshall walker- I like the idea of an urban planner on the BART Board.

East Bay Regional Park district, Ward 1: Whitney Dotson- he has the backing of East Bay Bike Coalition. His challenger is an outspoken opponent of bicycle use in any park.

Maybe I'll make another post on propositions and local measures. This is a long enough posting for today.

Vote.

posted in Oaktown - 30 replies

Suspension of Oakland Arts Funding...Call to Action and Council meeting TONIGHT Tues 10.21

alih — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:04:45 GMT

Please take a moment today (if you are so inclined)....

Here's the email I sent (and there's a petition below).

TO: pkernighan@oaklandnet.com; jquan@oaklandnet.com; idelafuente@oaklandnet.com; lreid@oaklandnet.com; hchang@oaklandnet.com
CC: jbrunner@oaklandnet.com; nnadel@oaklandnet.com; dbrooks@oaklandnet.com

Dear Council Members,

I urge you to stand with Nancy Nadel, Jane Brunner, and Desley Brooks and NOT cut Oakland's Arts Funding.

The arts are not a luxury! Children and youth who participate in arts programs and learn positive ways to express themselves are less likely to engage in unsafe or criminal activities. Neighborhoods with visual and performing arts venues bring in $$s to the local economy, help prevent crime and violence by "keeping the lights on", and add to the overall quality of life in our city.

Sincerely,
name
address
**********************

An Urgent Message from City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission and RPSC!

Dear Artists, Members & Patrons,

The Oakland City Council is considering suspending Oakland Arts funding this year as an alternative to the Mayor's Budget. We need your help- Whether you live or work in Oakland or elsewhere in the East Bay- Berkeley, Emeryville, Richmond, Alameda!

If you like the Oakland Art Murmur, community programming, free classes, and collaborations RPSC offers, then this affects you! A suspension of this program this year would have dire impacts on all of Oakland Arts, including Creative Growth, the Oakland/East Bay Symphony, the Crucible, Pro Arts, Eastside Arts Alliance, MOCHA, and RPSC!

This is the time to act! Here's how:

1.) Forward this urgent email to as many people as possible.

2.) Sign the online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Oakland_Arts_Funding/index.html

3.) Come to the Oakland City Council Meeting on Tuesday October 21,6pm
City Hall- One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Second Floor Oakland, CA 94612

4.) Contact an Oakland Council Member and let them know how important Oakland/East Bay arts are to you!

Funding for the Cultural Arts and Marketing Department is on the chopping block and will be voted on by the Oakland City Council this Tuesday, October 21. The meeting begins at 6pm and this topic is currently Item 19 on the Agenda, so it could be a long night. Grant funding is in jeopardy, as are all of the staff positions. This is a serious threat to a thriving but already under-funded community. We do understand that the City's finances are in a dire situation, but the fact of the matter is that the cultural arts department has historically borne more than its share of cuts and now represents only .4% (4/10 of 1%) of the overall city budget, yet serves 6,273 children and youth through the art in the schools program (most of whom would not have access to arts without these programs), and another 957,650 people through performances, events, etc. Not only will department staff lose their jobs: staff an d teachers in the already-fragile arts sector will also lose jobs. The arts are not a luxury! Children and youth who participate in arts programs and learn positive ways to express themselves are less likely to engage in unsafe or criminal activities. Neighborhoods with visual and performing arts venues bring in $$s to the local economy, help prevent crime and violence by "keeping the lights on", and add to the overall quality of life in our city.

If you are an artist, educator, work for an arts organization, enjoy arts events, have a kid in an arts program in one of Oakland's schools or community centers, or have friends that are artists, please join us to make our voices heard. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

There are currently three council members who are opposed to cutting arts funding: Nancy Nadel, Jane Brunner, and Desley Brooks. All other council members have indicated that they will vote to cut the program. Please don't let this happen!! Contact your council person immediately (preferably before Monday) and let them know that cutting the arts program is unacceptable. Also, let the three council members that support the arts know how much you appreciate their support. Below is contact info for each of the district council members:

District 1, Jane Brunner, jbrunner@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7001;
District 2, Pat Kernighan,pkernighan@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7002;
District 3, Nancy Nadel, nnadel@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7003;
District 4, Jean Quan, jquan@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7004;
District 5, Ignacio de la Fuente. idelafuente@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7005;
District 6, Desley Brooks, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7006;
District 7, Larry Reid, lreid@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7007
At-Large, Henry Chang, Jr., hchang@oaklandnet.com

Not sure who your council member is? Click here to find out: http://www.oaklandnet.com/oit/CDST/DistMain.cfm

Please forward this to your staff, board, friends, students, their parents, your mailing list, etc. It is our responsibility to make our voices heard - and to let the officials know that we represent a larger portion of the public than they think!

Thank you in advance for getting involved,

Lori Zook, Acting-Chair
City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission

Nicole Neditch, Co-Dierctor, Oakland Art Gallery
Vice-Chair, City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission

RPSC Members and Volunteers

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

cut da mayors salry, or the entire Litter enforcement team? what would you do?

toomanyTomcats — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:56:36 GMT

The Mayor has suggested several options none of which are without pain. They include ... some very important programs proposed for cutting: illegal dumping enforcement officers, speed bumps, ..."
--Nancy Nadel's Oct. 2008 newsletter, page two

Litter Enforcement Officers fight the battle against dumped furniture, tires, and so on. They are particularly effective against repeat scofflaws like an irresponsible landlord.

If Nadel's newsletter is correct, this cut would be especially stupid. The LEUs generate money for the City by investigating and then issuing citations.

Got a budget crunch? Then cut these:
* The political staff that councilmembers gave themselves a year ago
* Perks granted to top-level managers, like an "overtime" cashout on top of their hefty salaries
* The councilmembers' Pay-Go funds, which buy influence with handouts to tennis groups, the Chabot Science Center empire in the hills, etc.
* The mayor's $183,000 salary
* Grants to privately operated social programs, which have not been asked at all to share the fiscal pain

Don't cut these:
* Park Rangers
* Litter Enforcement Officers
* Dispatchers at the police department
* Crime Lab technician, also at OPD

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Town Hall Meeting in Oakland on Marriage Equality

whittlesjh — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:00:27 GMT

COLAGE is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this exciting event-
Town Hall Meeting with the Cast from Noah's Arc!
Thursday, October 2
First Congregational Church of Oakland
2501 Harrison Street
Reception: 4:30--6:00 pm
Town Hall Meeting: 7:00 - 9:00 pm

COLAGE is proud to be a co-sponsor of a special town hall meeting in support of marriage equality for all: "For Faith, for Love, Forever." We are particularly pleased to welcome cast members from the ground-breaking cable television series "Noah's Arc" on the verge of the theatrical release of their first feature film, "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom."

Local area African-American clergy will join the cast members for a town hall meeting about marriage, family, same-sex couples, and religion in African American faith communities. The Transcendence Gospel Choir will also be on hand providing music for this special event. A reception before the event will provide an opportunity to meet and talk with "Noah's Arc" cast members.

Tickets are required for both the reception and the town hall meeting. To purchase your tickets, visit this site. . Don't miss this great opportunity! (For more information, contact Rev. Roland Stringfellow.

Presented by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry with co-sponsorship from COLAGE, The First Congregational Church of Oakland, The San Francisco Foundation, The Haas Jr. Fund and more.

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

West O multipurpouse center meeting- HOLY CRAP do i wish I was there....

toomanyTomcats — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:55:13 GMT

V smoothe repotts on a usually sleepy and under attended community meeting:

http://www.abetteroakland.com/spotted-near-riot-at-the-west-oakland-multi-purpose-center/2008-09-12

There were a couple things going on. One was the desire of quite a few community members to re-energize this meeting with a new slate.
the other was Nancy Nadel hijacking federal HUD funds (every last penny) for her pet project - a teen center. Chaos ensured once the ppl there realized what was going on. These HUD funds are allocated for community based projects decided upon by the People, usually at NCPC meetings such as this. Nadel walks in, tells The Community- under her 'Leadership'- that all the funds they will vote on that evening are going to a single project that Nadel has steamrolled into existence with her discretionary funds. The NCPC board never even brought that teen center up as one of the projects that should be funded.

Totally nuts. Too bad nadel is retiring next year to open a chocolate store. Y'all are stuck with her abuse of power for the next 4 years. And hen she does retire, you'll be paying out her 100k plus pension annually, in addition to a fully matched 401k plan, free health care coverage for life, free parking at Oakland airport, etc etc.

completely fucked.

posted in Oaktown - 3 replies

The big ole Oakland Corruption thread

NeonBunny — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:12:58 GMT

Seems like every day, there's a new scandal happening in Oakland. Corrupt city officials with gang connections, fixed election results, skyrocketing murder rates.

Rather than start a new thread for each scandal, I thought it would be nice to have one thread to post all of the inside gossip, newslinks, etc... All about the dirty city we call home.

posted in Oaktown - 26 replies

Dog shot and thrown from car in east Oakland - needs foster care and a forever home - also reward for any tips

Snake Lynne — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:34:06 GMT

The story made me cry my eyes out along with numerous co-workers.
He was shot and thrown from a car along with another dog who died. He is a little guy, needs additional surgeries but mostly he needs foster care and a loving home.
I begged my other half, I called crying today begging to take him in. I was reminded that I have 4 animals and that I work full time and travel a lot. And it would not be a good idea - damn bf and his rationality!!!

He needs a home....pass this along. he is at the Oakland Shelter. There is also a reward for information on his shooters.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/12/BA58129IHB.DTL

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

Top Chef Just Cause, Coming Right Up-August 16

whittlesjh — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:10:12 GMT

Come sample BBQ chicken and ribs cooked by JCO's finest member-chefs competing against each other for the Top Chef Just Cause Title!

There is nothing like a good summer BBQ and this event promises to be all that. You do not want to miss it! We have:

** Performance by the Legendary Oaktown Passions
** Donated BBQ grub from Uncle Willie's BBQ,Lady's Place and Loonies Smokehouse BBQ
** Amazing raffle and competition prizes from Chez Panisse, Macy's, Costco, The Wok Shop, and more
** Air Jumper and games for the kids!

WHAT: Top Chef Just Cause Summer BBQ and Cookoff
WHEN: Saturday, August 16th, 12-4pm
WHERE: St. Patrick's Church in West Oakland, 1023 Peralta Street
HOW MUCH: Sliding Scale $5-$20 and no one turned away
WHO: Everyone is invited but please RSVP to cora@justcauseoakland.org so we can make sure and have enough food

There is still room for one or two more teams to compete in Top Chef Just Cause. Do you have what it takes? If you are interested, contact Molly at our office, molly@justcauseoakland.org, 510-763-5877 by August 8th.

Finally, we need grills and we need volunteers! Do you have a good, clean BBQ grill you can lend us for August 16th? With 10 teams competing, we are having a hard time getting everyone equipped! Contact Molly@justcauseoakland.org if you can help that day or if you have a grill to loan us.

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Aug 5 - West Oakland Night Out - You are Invited

*NetworkGirl* — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:22:29 GMT

So my block is doing a block party for West Oakland night out...so I thought it might be cool to meet some people off Tribe.

16th Street Between Chestnut and Adeline. 6:30-9pm
Bring some Snacks.

The Police will be out with toys for kids; so bring the family.

posted in Oaktown - 8 replies

If your closet floods..... does your landlord owe you anything?

Mobber — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:23:06 GMT

ok here's the deal.

Friday water coming from closet, landlord notified immediately.
puts it off, ignores it, tells the upstairs tenant to turn of his toilet and he will fix later.

Saturday it happens again while I am not home, landlord has yet to fix.

Sunday while I am out of town I guess it went on for hours.

I told him Friday, he blew me off, my clothes have all been ruined, brown stains from who knows what, closet smells like mildew, carpet is wet.

I am offered $241 off rent so I can wash them at a laundry mat.
What if I am so pissed off, do not want moldy toilet water clothes washed no matter what.
What if I think they need to be thrown out and replaced. This shit is probably perma stained anyways. Yellow and brown ass white shirts.

what are my options?

Why am I cleaning this up? Shouldn't he have a team?
Why does my apartment smell like mold? Why do I feel sick?
Why is my bathroom a disaster too? (yes it went through both)
Why is no one cleaning it but me? Why am I assigned to this?

what can I do?
I'm estimating thousands in clothes damage.
Carpet is still wet, walls are destroyed, just ARGGGGG

posted in Oaktown - 8 replies

Crown city rockers this thurs 5.30-9 FREE 9th/broadway

tracy — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:53:10 GMT

www.oaklandevents.net

Oakland Events presents Thursday Night Live, a bi‐monthly concert series
taking place in Old Oakland on the first and third Thursdays from June through
October. Specialty cocktails, wine and beer will be available for sale at
beverage tents. The event will also feature artisans, local non‐profits and
merchant booths.

Thursday Night Live
9th & Washington Intersection in Old Oakland
5:30‐9p
Free to the public
Thursday Night Live will be held on the first and third Thursdays, from June
through October from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

Live Music Schedule

8/07/08 ‐ Crown City Rockers hip hop funk soul
8/21/08 ‐ Saoco Dos Four Cuban reggaeton
9/04/08 ‐ Fito Reinoso Latin
9/18/08 ‐ The Sonando Project Latin Jazz
10/02/08 ‐ Bayonics hip hop, funk, and reggae
10/16/08 ‐ Julio Bravo salsa

About Crown City Rockers (August 7)
Crown City Rockers is a genre‐blending hip‐hop sollective whose music is original, powerful and provocative all in the same
breath and follows in the storied footsteps of such pioneers as The Roots, De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest.
With an organic blend of lush, funk‐drenched grooves, riveting classic soul samples, sharp live instrumentation and of course
old‐school inflected rhymes, Crown City Rockers is a welcome breath of fresh air in today's commercially cluttered hip‐hop
cosmos. Comprised of stellar emcee Raashan Ahmad, producer Woodstock, keyboardist Kat Ouano, bassist/producer
Headnodic, and drummer Max MacVeety, Crown City Rockers formed in Beantown's Roxbury section during the late nineties.
Crown City Rockers' epic full‐length LP, Earthtones is poised for release. It is an astonishing achievement, seamlessly fusing all
of the group's sonic facets together. Indeed, the album overflows with Raashan's battle raps, poetic musings and emotionally
fraught tracks about life and love. The lyrics are, in turn, melded with Kat's keyboards, Max's drums and Headnodic and
Woodstock's beats ‐ which run the creative gamut frum funk and soul, to jazz, to straight classic hip‐hop.

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Good Local Welder

Dan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:52:48 GMT

The lumber rack on my truck needs some modifications and I need a good local welder who will modify as needed and also do some custom cab protection work. These are straight-up utilitarian projects but I'm open to artisan/artistic welders if they have experience with the former.

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Today Grooves in the Park Free Day Party BBQ, Music and beer!

Mobber — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:45:36 GMT

check it out.
Hope to see you out there!
http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/grooves-in-the-park-day-party-bbq-oakland-sat-july-12th/
It'll be a great Saturday indeed!

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Good local plumber?

jaew — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:46:24 GMT

when the washing machine is running on the second floor, the sink in the first floor kitchen fills up and clogs.
Does anyone know of a local, good plumber they can recommend?

thanks!

posted in Oaktown - 5 replies

Work Independently? Derby Creek Co-working co-operative

Jerlina — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:09:07 GMT

Hello Oaktown!
I am a grad student and am tired of working 40 hours a week from my bedroom and Peete's coffee. I'm organizing a co-working co-op. If you are interested please email me with what you do and your work space needs. Thanks! And here is an article about co-working- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/19/MN7CV2JFE.DTL

Derby Creek Co-working Co-operative
6601 Telegraph St. jerlina@berkeley.edu

The Derby Creek Co-Working Co-operative is a co-working space, a space shared by a number of people to pool workplace resources such as internet connections, while retaining the amenities of working from home or a coffee shop. Members of Derby Creek are graduate students, freelancers, consultants, artists, and other independent types preferring flexible workplace conditions. Co-working is an incredibly new and popular way to work and this will be the first co-operative co-working group in the world.

Why chose Derby Creek over working at a café?

We believe that you deserve to have a work environment that is quiet, clean, comfortable but also communal and anti-consumer! At Derby Creek you can feel comfortable hanging out for hours and bringing your own food. You can also feel relief in knowing that there will always be a place available for you to sit and an outlet for you to plug into. You might even enjoy becoming part of a community of people who also work independently in your neighborhood.

Facilities-
* Shared open table layout, can accommodate 15+ people
* WiFi
* Unlimited tea, coffee and snacks
* Full kitchen w/ refrigerator for co-workers
* Desk lamps, power outlets
* Lockers to store your stuff
* Numerous public transportation options: AC Transit 1 and 1 Express
* Easy street parking
* Two blocks away from Whole Foods
* Across the street from the White Horse Bar
* 5-10 minute bike ride to UC Berkeley Campus

6601 Telegraph is between Down at Lulu’s Vintage Boutique and the White Horse Bar, the corner of Telegraph and 66th st. We are two blocks away from Whole Foods and one block away from the Book Zoo and Café Colucci. You can catch the bus across the street to UC Berkeley campus or ride your bike. We are also in walking or biking distance to the Elmwood shopping district.

As a co-operative we will communally manage the facilities and finances. This will be our autonomous zone where we create the best work environment on the planet!

Hours-
For the first few months we will have limited hours. We’ll be open 7 days a week 10am-10pm. As membership increases so will our hours.

Rates-
Join us for only $150 a month (work trade available). Not ready for a commitment? Drop-ins are welcome, donations of $5-10 a day are welcome.

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

Oakland Police Academy

eastby4 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:31:01 GMT

Good luck guys and girls. This looks like one very tough city to work in. If the crooks dont get you it will be the politicians. Oh, and then everyone else who thinks that they know your job better than you do.

Oakland police academy graduates 30
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Article Last Updated: 07/25/2008 09:02:05 PM PDT

OAKLAND — Thirty new officers graduated from the Oakland police academy Friday, giving the department the most officers it has had in decades.

The 30 graduates bring to 778 the number of positions filled in the 803-officer department, the most since the 1970s. Two other ongoing academies with more than 30 recruits each will graduate in November.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Scottish Rite Center, attended by more than 350 relatives, friends and other officers who welcomed the new officers with a loud standing ovation.

Police Chief Wayne Tucker told the new officers — members of the 164th Basic Police Academy that started Jan. 28 — that he has been in law enforcement 44 years.

"It is still a pleasure for me to see young people like you matriculate into this career," the chief said. "This is a life-changing event for you.''

Public safety needs are particularly demanding in Oakland, Tucker said, adding that he was confident the graduates would meet the challenge and become competent professionals.

"I want to congratulate all of you for achieving success — not only for yourselves, but for the citizens of Oakland," he said. "The city comes first, then the department.''

Two of the new officers are former Oakland police cadets. One, Andrew Bicker, was the class valedictorian. The other is Chanelle Del Rosario, whose father, Norman Rosario, is a former Oakland officer. As a cadet,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chanelle Del Rosario helped homicide investigators solve a case by luring a suspect to a meeting by posing as someone he wanted to date.

Another new officer is Erik Arriaza, whose wife, Maria, gave birth to their second child, daughter Natalie, at 3:14 a.m. Friday. Holding his 21/2-year-old son, Jason, in his arms after the ceremony, Arriaza said it was a doubly happy day for him, and that his wife did not want him to miss his graduation.

"She actually was pushing me out of the (hospital) room,'' he said.

The other new officers are Dominic Ayala, Jo Balaoro, Eric Brown, Gordon Dorham, Christopher Flores, Ronald Freeman, Wenceslao Garcia, Jeffrey Gimenez, Terry Hoang, Terry Jones, Ethan Katz, and David Lloyd.

Also graduating were Donald Lockett, Matthew Lopez, John McDonell, Jose Pereznegron, Pheareak Phan, Evan Pomar, James Pulsipher, Kristian Razmilovic, Derek Russell, Megan Sheridan, Brandon Taylor, Joseph Turner, Eric Van Scoy, Nathaniel Walker and Yun Zhou.

Another graduate, Rene-John Otico, is expected to join Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Oakland First-Time Homebuyers Program

alih — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:57:36 GMT

Interesting stuff: http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/loansgrants/firsttime.html

Price of home cannot exceed $503,500 (OK, that seems fine).
But WAIT A MINUTE, there are income limits....whoops, I don't qualify because I make over 80% of the median income ($46,350).
http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/policy/docs/IncomeLimits2008.pdf

Why have a $500K limit on a house? Shouldn't that be more like $250K if one is making under $46K?
Doesn't make any sense to me. Or is that the point: make the program so impractical that one can't use it.

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

6/3 Election - SEAN SULLIVAN for City Council (West Oakland)

alih — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:48:59 GMT

Met him the other night at our next-door neighbor's house. He's fresh, ambitious and I like what he has to say.
Let's boot Nancy Nadel...try someone else for a change.

From his website (http://www.seansullivan.org):

Everybody, Up, Together!

Oakland's Third Council District needs a new representative who can combine bold ideas with the ability and willingness to work constructively with all the people that make up this diverse and complex constituency.

I live in West Oakland, where daily my neighbors and I are faced with unsafe and unhealthy environments. I work in Jack London Square, where residents and businesses struggle to enhance their neighborhood without a partner in City Hall. From Adam's Point to Pill Hill to Prescott, District Three needs responsive and responsible city leadership. I am committed to providing that leadership, and I ask for your vote this June 3rd to make the change Oakland needs now.

posted in Oaktown - 49 replies

Best of the Bay party at the Oakland Museum

liabear1 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:36:08 GMT

Did anybody go? I had a blast! A great diverse crowd, totally chill.

posted in Oaktown - 7 replies

I need Oakland T-shirts!

alVacado — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 06:12:39 GMT

hello all,
my new and cool job is having a meeting next week and wants to get a few Oakland T-shirts. Not A's or Raiders, city of Oakland. I've seen some with a logo that I can't remember, maybe a city scape? I've looked at the city of oak website, tried to find the city commerce link and ........nada. Anyone?

posted in Oaktown - 27 replies

Port of Oakland offering FREE Harbor Tours

Mobber — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:07 GMT

Yes!
I've gone twice this season already.
Well I work here so I just tell my department head I'm taking a 2 hour lunch to join the tour. lol

But check it out!

http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/port-of-oakland-free-harbor-tours/

It really is neat.

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Thursday Night Live Block Party in Old Oakland 1st & 3rd Thursdays!

Mobber — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:01 GMT

Block Party, live music and drinks.
1st & 3rd Thursdays 5:00pm to 9:00pm
9th between Broadway and Washington

more info and schedule here:
http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/thursday-night-live-block-party-in-oakland/

check it out.

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

July 16 Meeting on Downtown Rezoning and Building Limit Heights

John — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:20:05 GMT

The City's Zoning Update Committee will be discussing and taking public comments on rezoning the Central Business District on Wednesday July 16 at 4:00 pm at City Hall in Hearing Room One. Please visit our blog for more information about how you can help CALM pursuade the commission to adopt building heights limits along the downtown edge of Lake Merritt. Everyone is encouraged to attend if possible that day.

Thanks!

http://lakecoalition.blogspot.com/

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Nina Reiser's body found

eastby4 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:44:02 GMT

Reiser finally gave up the information and told the police where his wife was buried. I gues this removes any doubt about his guilt or innocence. But, another thing I thought about this came to mind that really bothers me.

During the trial Reiser was being portrayed by his attorney, William Dubois, as being innocent. It was suggested that his wife had run out on him returning to Russia or that there was some type of Russian mafia involvement. It was said that Resier also wondered about the whereabouts of his wife, Nina. Now, it was said in the paper that before the trail began that this same offer was made to Reiser and that he choose to roll the dice and fight the charges. Now, this would mean that his attorney knew that his client was quilty. And, he defended him as an innocent man. Ok, I believe in all of our rights and if Reiser was guilty it is his attorney's job to make sure that he is afforded all of his rights.

But to sit there and portray him as an innocent man ? That is wrong. It may not be illegal but it is definatley wrong. I am not going to sit here and say that Dubois is as bad as Reiser but he is very morally wrong. Call it a breach of ethics, an immoral act or a sin. Whatever it is he should be ashamed of himself. What if he got Reiser off ? How wrong would that have been. William Dubois, you are very wrong. If I did what you did I could not sleep with myself. You bring shame on every lawyer. Shame on you.

posted in Oaktown - 15 replies

Building Height Limits at Lake Merritt - Community Meeting Saturday July 12 at Snow Park

John — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:21:58 GMT

Hello all,

There will be a community meeting this Saturday, July 12, at Snow Park at 1:00 pm. The meeting will last for one hour during which CALM will provide updates and information about our efforts to limit building heights at Lake Merritt. We'd also simply like to meet all of you and have everyone who supports us get to know each other on a personal level and to build support and commitment for this effort.

Perhaps zoning is not very sexy or exciting, but accomplishing this purpose will solve the on-going disagreement in the community about development at the Lake. As many of you know, a lot of Oakland residents have been asking for development controls by the Lake and this is exactly what the 55 foot height proposal will accomplish. Therefore, your continued interest and assistance is both necessary and greatly appreciated.

See you Saturday at the CALM table near Harrison and 19th Streets.

John

http://lakecoalition.blogspot.com/

posted in Oaktown - 5 replies

Russo and Ruby propose reform package for Oakland city government

alih — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:42:05 GMT

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - 10:55 AM PDT
East Bay Business Times - by Mavis Scanlon Staff reporter

Oakland City Attorney John Russo and City Auditor Courtney Ruby will propose a package of five reforms to make the city government more accountable, more transparent and more effective for the taxpayers of Oakland.

The proposals come in the wake of the scandal involving former City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, who was placed on leave for allegedly interfering with a police investigation of a relative who also worked for the city, and then later was fired.

"The people of Oakland have made it clear that they are frustrated with loose practices and murky policies at City Hall -- and so have we," Russo and Ruby said in a joint statement. "With the recent shakeup at City Hall, the City Council has an opportunity to enact real administrative reform in Oakland. With these reforms in place, taxpayers can be confident that city government is working for them on the level."

The reform package, which Russo and Ruby plan to announce at a press conference on Wednesday, includes:

* a whistleblower protection ordinance.
* a strong anti-nepotism ordinance.
* reform of flawed personnel department procedures.
* a new employee ethics program.
* reform of the city's inadequate records management practices.

The anti-nepotism ordinance is sponsored by City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, and the whistleblower ordinance is co-sponsored by Council member Pat Kernighan.

posted in Oaktown - 6 replies

Par courses

AnathemaD — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:36:20 GMT

I found the little teeny parcourse in a school near my house (off Alcatraz in Oakland). Those who went outdoors in the 70s will likely remember this phenomenon--various exercises set up in an area where you can also run outdoors. It's brilliant and I have no idea why they fell out of favor--I assume just that there's no profit model, it's something a city installs for the good of its citizens, and we know how popular that is these days.

So now I'm hooked. I discovered that there's another, much more extensive one alone the Ohlone Greenway in Berkeley this weekend. Does anyone know where there might be others? Funny thing, but pushups, chin-ups, jumping jacks and the like are actually (gasp!) harder work than the machines at the gym. Almost like those drill sergeants were onto something . .

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

Grand Jury Final Report

cynthia — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:42:38 GMT

Check out credit card charges starting on pg 16, police staffing recommendations on pg 59 and the fire dept hiring info is pretty grim too.
But.... I still like living in Oakland.

http://www.acgov.org/grandjury/final2007-2008.pdf

posted in Oaktown - 3 replies

Death in the Park

flint — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:51:15 GMT

Just walking past Lake Merritt park on Grand and Perkins. Seems to be a lot of police presence and a coroner's vehicle by the fountain. Also, a sheeted gurney. Any news on this?

posted in Oaktown - 21 replies

City Administratot

eastby4 — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:28:01 GMT

No wonder things are so bad in this town. The city administrator is a crook. Tsk tsk, everyone is always suspicious of and accusatory of the officers in Oakland. Looks like we all should have been looking at the boss all along. I read where she was going to make an Internal Affairs complaint. For what ? Her and her nephews own wrong doing ? I feel sorry for the Oakland officers if this is the kind of crap they have to put up with. A boss that commits a criminal act and then threatens you on top of it.

She needs to go to jail.

Oakland administrator suspected of interfering with police investigation
Article Created: 06/19/2008 03:22:30 PM PDT

By Kelly Rayburn and Harry Harris

STAFF WRITERS

OAKLAND — City Administrator Deborah Edgerly could face disciplinary action for possibly interfering with a June 7 police investigation related to Tuesday's massive crackdown on the Acorn drug gang of West Oakland.

Mayor Ron Dellums was investigating the matter Wednesday, said spokesman Paul Rose. The mayor's office kept mum about what repercussions might come out of it, but the Police Department released a report revealing that Edgerly arrived on the scene at 1200 Market St. after a gun was found in a car driven by William Lovan, 27, of Concord. Edgerly told police Lovan was her nephew.

Lovan was one of 34 suspected gang members arrested across the East Bay on Tuesday. He was picked up in Concord on suspicion of possessing a firearm related to the June 7 incident. Police responded that day to a report at about 8:50 p.m. as part of the ongoing "Operation Nutcracker" that culminated Tuesday.

Lovan's car was reportedly locked with the keys inside and a firearm in view. As officers prepared to have the car towed, Edgerly asked why the car was being taken away, the police report said. At one point, Edgerly said she was on the phone with Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan and that she would be contacting the department's Internal Affairs Division over the matter, the report said.

Jordan confirmed that he spoke to Edgerly on June 7 and said he relayed what happened to Police

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Chief Wayne Tucker. Jordan declined to comment further except to say that police notified the proper authorities about the incident.

Rose said Wednesday evening: "We're aware of the allegations and we're taking them very seriously and as we speak we're looking into them. But beyond that, on the advice of counsel, I can't comment any further."

He did add: "We're going to get to the bottom of it."

Attempts to reach Edgerly on Wednesday were not successful. She refused to answer a reporter's question Tuesday night at a City Council meeting about her relationship to Lovan, who is a city employee and remained in custody Wednesday.

Little information about Lovan's employment with the city was known except that he was a parking meter repairman who has been employed by Oakland since July 2003.

Police said they had learned from a source that Lovan had talked with the Acorn gang's purported leader, Mark Anthony Candler, 34, about the gun in the car he was driving.

Police released the report Wednesday in response to public records requests from numerous media outlets.

Edgerly is a longtime city employee who was tapped by then-Mayor Jerry Brown in 2003 to be City Manager before the city switched to a City Administrator form of government.

The City Administrator is directly responsible to the mayor and City Council for the overall administration of the city, including enforcing Oakland's laws and ordinances and making recommendations to policymakers on important city issues.

Rumors that Edgerly is nearing retirement have been swirling around City Hall for more than a year. She told the Tribune in March that she planned to retire either in July or December of this year.

She grew up in West Oakland and served as Finance Agency director before she became City Manager.

A City Hall source confirmed Wednesday that Lovan is Edgerly's nephew, though it was not clear whether the two are blood relatives or related through marriage.

Early morning raids Tuesday by Oakland police and 16 other law enforcement agencies completed a two-month investigation that, police said, ended with more than half of the Acorn gang behind bars.

Leading the investigation for Oakland police was the Targeted Enforcement Task Force.

Dellums released the following statement about the raids Tuesday evening: "I am proud of Police Chief Wayne Tucker and the courageous men and women of the Oakland Police Department for this extraordinary effort to help bring peace to our streets."

Contact Kelly Rayburn at 510-208-6435 or krayburn@bayareanewsgroup.com.

posted in Oaktown - 24 replies

Recomendations for lunch in the East Bay on Friday?

Ronald — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:16:34 GMT

I'm meeting a friend for lunch in the east bay for lunch Friday, any recommendations?

Hayward-Oakland area, rather not go much further south, or as far north as Berkeley (make a good case, and I'll consider it).

Looking for interesting and good, pretty open and adventurous, but I've not lived here long enough to know good places. I'm looking for something like Askew or Cheese Board Pizza (well, a bit fancier that Cheese Board Pizza, though their food is wonderful).

posted in Oaktown - 14 replies

hub crawl

toomanyTomcats — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:46:46 GMT

Pink Buhnny and I decided to throw together a last minute hub crawl tonight. (you know- on bikes, hubs are on bikes, etc)

First stop is The Missouri Lounge on San Pablo. 5:15ish.
Eventually we will make it to the Kona Club for BnB's birthday party.
Eli's, The Graduate, and Seranader is on the list, and maybe a late night excursion to the White ho too.

So grab your bikes, meet us at the misery and ride to the next place, wherever that may be.

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies

What will this tribe be like without Tomcat in town?

dmacleay — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:30:10 GMT

Will he still post from his new undisclosed location?

Will someone else take up the task?

Who will Glenzzz get to answer his rants?

Will our source of comments on crime, bikes and cats will ever be the same?

Am I the only one who will miss him?

posted in Oaktown - 13 replies

Choppers in the Laurel last night

ikasaurus — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:55:26 GMT

Anybody know the scoop? around 10ish and a little more concentrated than the periodic flyby's or chases.

posted in Oaktown - 3 replies

Nancy Nadel needs to go. Now.

toomanyTomcats — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:35:38 GMT

this is a long one, but maybe you'd be interested in the original link:

http://www.abetteroakland.com/nancy-nadel-needs-to-go-now/2008-05-28

Nancy Nadel needs to go. Now.
V Smoothe | Nancy Nadel, oakland, oakland city council, elections | Wednesday, 28 May 2008

I met Nancy Nadel for the first time about a week after I moved to Oakland, to a beautiful and perfect downtown apartment, when I went to a meeting I had seen a notice for in the newspaper about retail revitalization in downtown Oakland. The meeting was really weird. It turned out to not be about retail revitalization at all, but a panel discussion about the Uptown development, with some representatives of Forest City, Nancy Nadel, Danny Wan, and a reporter from the Oakland Tribune (I kind of think it was Robert Gammon, but I’m not 100% on that). Jerry Brown came in about halfway through, clearly stopping by from running around the Lake, drenched in sweat, and stood in the back of the room, watching. The moderator kept asking him to weigh in, and he kept declining, saying he was just there to listen. At the end of the meeting, the moderator again asked Brown for a statement, and he went on this really weird thing about how he just returned from a trip to Florence, and he thought it was really pretty with their cute orange roofs, and he’d really support anything we could do to make Oakland look like Florence. Later he approached me and said he liked my bracelet. So bizarre.

Anyway, I didn’t get a chance to ask my question, so afterwards, I went up to my Councilmember, Nancy Nadel, to ask her. I introduced myself and said I’d just moved to Oakland, and wanted to ask about retail attraction in other parts of downtown. She asked me where I lived, and when I told her, she said that I wasn’t in her District, and should go talk to Danny. I said that was pretty sure I was, because I had looked it up on the City’s website, and could I ask her anyway since I was already talking to her. She said no, she was sure I wasn’t in District 3, that if I had questions, I really should talk to Danny, then turned and walked away. Things only went downhill from there.

Just in case anyone reading this hadn’t already picked up on this, I’m voting for Sean Sullivan on Tuesday. And tomorrow, I’ll tell you why you should, too. Today I want to talk about Nancy Nadel, and more specifically, why it’s time for her to go. So here you go:

* She has the wrong priorities.

As Oaklanders have watched crime skyrocket over the past few years and for the last year have clamored for improved public safety, Nadel made her legislative priorities banning smoking at bus stops and banning plastic bags.

Look. Oakland has serious problems, particularly around public safety. Real problems deserve real policy solutions. Crime is the number one issue here in Oakland, and people deserve at least an attempt on the part of their representatives to address the problem. Nadel just doesn’t get it. See her comments from the Public Safety Committee on September 11, 2007 and then the City Council on September 18, 2007.

And for those who don’t want to view it, here’s what she says. First:

Of course being attacked on the street is a safety issue. But smoking is a safety issue too…We can’t say one is more dangerous than the other.

Then:

Exposure to smoke can be as deadly to them as being shot in the street.

No. Just no. I don’t care how much you hate smoking, there is a difference between being exposed to secondhand smoke outside within 25 feet of a bus stop and being violently assaulted, and you can say which is worse. It’s the latter. The attitude is just not acceptable. This is just one example of Nadel’s abysmal record on public safety, but I think it’s a particularly revealing one. We need someone sitting in that seat who has their priorities in order, and Nancy Nadel just doesn’t get it.

* She does not want to work full-time for her constituents

When she was first elected, Nancy Nadel was a strong advocate of increasing Council salaries to full-time pay, because she felt that it was too burdensome to properly fulfill her duties as a Councilmember while also working another job. I agree with this position, and honestly, I think the City Council should be paid more than they currently are. In October of 1997, Nancy Nadel, then working a second job to make ends meet, testified to the City’s Public Ethics Commission (PDF!) “I’m working constantly, and it’s not healthy. I’d happily leave my other job if I were paid an equivalent amount to work full-time here.”

Being a City Councilmember, making good choices, and really delivering for your District is a huge job. And as everyone who has ever started or run one knows, so is operating a small business. It is completely beyond me why Nancy Nadel thinks that she can devote the necessary amount of time to her City Council duties while at the same time starting a chocolate company. If Nancy Nadel wants to make chocolate and help Jamaican farmers, I think that’s admirable. I really do. But if that’s her passion, then that’s what she should be doing. Even if I had no other issues with Nadel, the fact that she’s starting another business would be an absolute deal-breaker for me. We need someone in this office who is devoted to working full-time for their constituents, and Nadel isn’t. End of story.

* She doesn’t like the job, and isn’t taking the initiative to bring new things forward.

Like I said before, I know that being a Councilmember is tough. No matter what you do, you’re never going to make everyone happy, and you’re always going to piss some people off. So I understand that it must get really frustrating at times. But when you’ve gotten jaded enough to state publicly “I find limited joy in my work,” as Nadel has, it’s simply time to move on.

At the last three candidate forums I attended, Nadel, in her introduction, said that the reason she’s running for her fourth term is “to bring some long-term projects to completion.” It’s just not good enough. District 3 and Oakland as a whole are burdened with so many problems. We need someone representing us who will constantly bring forth new ideas, new projects, and new initiatives. We need energy. Representing Oakland has got to be about more than finishing what you started.

* She discourages public input.

It’s so hard to get people to go speak at Council meetings. Seriously. I’m always desperately trying to get people I know involved in City politics, and for the most part, they just don’t care at all. But even when you manage to get someone worked up over some specific issue, getting them to show up to a meeting and wait for hours to speak for a minute on one item is like pulling teeth. So I find it particularly upsetting when people do show up and speak, only to be treated incredibly rudely by the Council, and Nancy Nadel is by far the worst culprit on this. (I know people complain about Ignacio being rude to people, but I swear, I’m sure I watch more Council meetings than most people, and I just don’t see it at all. Yes, he stops people after they’ve gone 10 or 15 seconds over their alloted time, but that’s his job. Personally, I think it’s rude of those people to assume the same rules that everyone else abides by shouldn’t apply to them. But while people are speaking within their time limits, I always find him polite and respectful. At least he looks at you and pretends to listen, unlike certain other Councilmembers who can be seen reading magazines or napping during public comment.)

Anyway, Nancy Nadel is just consistently gratuitously rude to public speakers, and I find it really upsetting. A couple examples from the past year off the top of my head. Of course, there’s the time Max spoke to share his concerns about displacement, and Nancy Nadel responded by telling him that the people in question should just move. Then there was the time during the Public Safety Committee hearing on the smoking ordinance, when a bar owner got up to speak about being concerned for the safety of his patrons and the impact on his business if they were forced to stand down far down the street from his business and out of sight of his security staff at night, and she interrupted him and to grill him and lecture him about how he was currently breaking the law (he wasn’t). After the exchange, two other people who had signed up to speak tried to leave out of fear of what she’d do to them, and I had to beg and plead with them to say and talk. It was terrible!

And it isn’t just with people she disagrees with. For reasons totally beyond me, Nadel seems to feel the need to be similarly rude to people who favor ordinances she supports! Take this exchange, which I found absolutely shocking!

OK, so this poor girl seemed really nervous, which I totally get. I don’t know how many of you have ever spoken at Council meetings, but I’m not someone who generally has a problem with speaking in public, and I find it seriously intimidating being down there and looking up at all of them on that high dais and seeing yourself on that huge screen, especially if the room is crowded and you have all these people staring at you. I’ve done it lots of times, and even though I prepare and rehearse my remarks, every time I get up there, I get so nervous I shake and spend the whole time terrified that my legs are going to give out and I’ll just collapse on the floor like a freak. Anyway, so like tons of people do all the time at every meeting, this girl showed up to speak in support of something the Council was going to pass that night (as did like a dozen other people) and what does Nadel do the second she leaves the podium? Responds with a nasty comment about how someone should inform the girl that they “already did that,” which they, um, hadn’t. It was so unnecessary! Do you think she’s ever going to speak at another Council meeting ever again? I sure as hell wouldn’t.

It’s exactly like Sean said at the League of Women Voters forum (beginning of this video): “We’ll have more citizen participation in this city when we start respecting our citizens who are actually willing to become involved.”

* She’s a barrier to people trying to make a difference in their neighborhood.

Plenty of my commenters have described here their efforts to get improvements in their neighborhoods, and the resistance they faced from Nancy Nadel. People who want dog parks, stop signs, community gardens, street lighting, permit parking, and so on, all have to fight tooth and nail to get it, with no help, and often, opposition, from their Council office. Maybe more will chime in. But let’s look, for now, at just one example - Bordertown skate park. When a group of people tried to start a skate park in West Oakland, they faced opposition from CalTrans, but with the help of the City, worked the problem out. Although Nancy Nadel ultimately ended up voting for their lease, she did so only after trying to halt the project. Even after Caltrans soil tests found that the low levels of PCBs on the site where within acceptable levels, and that any environmental safety concerns would be ameliorated simply by capping the site, Nadel said that the group should simply give up (PDF!) on the site, because she was building one at Jefferson Park. This was in 2005. As we all know, there is still no skate park at Jefferson Park. Violence prevention isn’t just about police or job programs - it’s also about providing recreation opportunities for our youth. We need somebody in this office who is going to help, not hinder, ordinary citizens who want to improve their neighborhoods. It should be a no brainer.

I could go on and on and on. She’s nowhere on food security and food access. She does nothing for bicycle, transit, and pedestrian improvements. Restoring the Broadway Shopper Shuttle is part of her platform now, but it got cancelled five years ago on her watch! Where’s she been since then? One local activist recently told me he was reluctant to criticize Nadel’s newfound advocacy for transit issues, saying “Yeah, she’s concerned now that she’s running for re-election. Whatever. I’ll take what I can get.” Fair enough. But where’s she been for the last four years? And where will she be once she doesn’t have to worry about getting votes? She chairs Public Works, so you’d she’d be helping with the bike parking problem, but bicycle advocates had to turn to Finance and Management and Ignacio De La Fuente for help!

She cannot see the big picture. She opposed the Council’s resolution in support of a high speed rail alignment that would have benefitted Oakland (which would have almost certainly ended at the Coliseum BART station), delaying passage of the resolution for over a month, until after the MTC had already recommended the alternative route, and when it finally passed, it only did so after she insisted on adding a provision about boring tunnels and undergrounding BART. She can’t even be trusted to stand up for things that are allegedly her priorities. Nadel is supposed to be the City Council’s big advocate of medial marijuana rights. Why then did she vote in favor of selling one of our police officers to the DEA so they can run around busting dispensaries? She voted for it at the Public Safety Committee last November, and again at the City Council meeting in December.

She places ideology over the realities of the market and hard data. Back in 2006, I was corresponding with her about industrial preservation, trying to explain to her about the real problems I, as somewhat working in industrial real estate, was seeing with business attraction for West Oakland. I tried to offer her data about vacancy rates, lease rates, and TI costs, and her response was “If you are working for an industrial brokerage, when the brokerage closes a deal for a housing project on industrial land, you’re making a lot more money on that deal than a purely industrial deal. Your self-interest is an important factor.” Not only was this incredibly rude, it was also ridiculous. One, as a researcher (which I had already explained to her I was), I earned an hourly wage, making no more money on any one deal than on any other. Two, leases are the bread and butter of industrial real estate! Of course the brokerage community doesn’t want to lose the industrial land - if we did, they’d be out of business! But Nadel is so blinded by her hostility to the idea of anyone (gasp!) making money, that she won’t listen to the input of people who work with these issues every day.

She isn’t available to her constituents. She hosts monthly coffee hours to meet with people in Jack London Square, but cancelled over half of them over the last two years. Her approach to governance and Oakland’s needs is simply too abstract. Last week, she was talking about buses, and was saying something about how we need the bus because we’re going to be oil independent in 12 years. No! We need the bus because people need to go places. Not in 2020. Now. She doesn’t care about transparency or public access to government. In 2003, when the City was facing some budget issues, her plan to free up money was to cut the Public Information Officers (PDF!) positions from the police, fire, and city attorney’s office. I don’t even have words on that one! She’s divisive. She can’t get things done. She lies. She doesn’t listen to people. She’s fiscally irresponsible (I’m sure I don’t need to remind my readers again about the $850,000 of our money she spent on an empty building that we have absolutely zero funds to turn into a teen center (meanwhile, we cut funding for teen recreation programs at the YMCA across the street). She does not value oversight, accountability, or implementation. She says she wants to bring jobs to Oakland, but supports a zoning proposal that would hurt our ability to build office space that will accommodate large employers. This could go on forever, but I’m going to have to stop eventually. Now seems as good a place as any.

Look, I don’t think Nancy Nadel is a bad person. I really don’t. She may be really mean to her constituents a lot of the time, but I have absolutely no doubt that she cares, and cares deeply, about helping people in West Oakland. But she is a bad Councilmember, and what she’s doing isn’t helping them, and it isn’t helping the rest of the people who live in District 3, or the rest of people who live in Oakland. It’s like Sean Sullivan is always saying at the candidate forums. Results matter. This is about who can get things done, who can actually help people in need in a meaningful way, and who can best move this City forward. Nancy Nadel has consistently shown that she just can’t deliver on these fronts. And that’s why it’s time for her to go.

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

Uhuru was robbed may 4th.... there is truly no honor among thieves.

toomanyTomcats — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:39:25 GMT

After a May 4 armed takeover robbery at Uhuru Furniture & Collectibles on Grand Avenue, staff at the nonprofit store — a project of the African People's Education and Defense Fund — are announcing that such thefts "go hand in hand with the sharp escalation of desperate poverty in Oakland's black community," as manager Joel Hamburger puts it. "The repercussions of slavery and colonialism have never ended," he told Apprehension, outlining a desire for political and business leaders not to hire more cops but rather "to change economic conditions, starting with a massive infusion of capital into the impoverished communities — of course, we're talking about the black communities." His ideas include interest-free loans for African-American-owned businesses. Calling the theft "your garden-variety armed takeover," he is "hesitant to go into details," as this would obscure "our vision of our future together, a vision for Oakland." Mass media haven't been lining up to talk with him. By contrast, "when Milano got held up," Hamburger says of the nearby bistro, "you couldn't turn 'em away. When we get held up — a store representing the African working-class struggle — we hear, 'Hmm, we're not sure our viewership is interested.'"

posted in Oaktown - 10 replies

East Bay BM theme camp party

NeonBunny — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:24:49 GMT

And now for something completely different. A Burning Man theme camp party from a Oaktown based theme camp. Should be lots of fun:

Camp Zoom!, a Black Rock City original, invites you to join us for a night of Dancing, Art and Fire...

Performances by the Fire Arts Collective

Dance music by DJs:
NeonBunny (dish, camp Zoom!)
J.C. (KZSU, camp HOTD)
Lord Kook (FSLD, Poop Funnel camp)

Downtempo and Ambient Grooves by DJs:
Xan-X (Ambi-Sonic)
Pepe Mapache (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Mak (Hotel W's famous Friday Happy Hour)

Sculptures and Installations by Starboy & Cary; NeonBunny
Video by 2Xintheface; Starboy

$10 (pssst- only $5 in costumes)

Food available until midnight

view the flier here:
http://neonbunny.com/events.html

view the video flier here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK3GO5NJjtk

posted in Oaktown - 1 reply

An assessment of OPD politics by a retired Police Officer..........

toomanyTomcats — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:33:53 GMT

I've been getting these emails in my inbox for months now. Juicy stuff. makes you a little sick reading how dismal the morale of OPD is at this point......

Sunday, May 25, 2008 7:08:09 AM

What's In Demographics For Us?
[May 24, 2008]

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts an annual statistical American Community Survey and issues comprehensive population data. Oakland's is interesting, on its own and in comparison with Richmond and San Jose.

You will recall that Oakland's Violent Crime rate went up 51% from 2000 to 2006, while in the same time period we lost 22,228 citizens of our population in an exodus. There are some who would jump to conclusions based on general impressions of age, race, poverty, and other demographic factors. Perhaps the following findings by the Census Bureau might cause some second thinking:

1. Oakland lost a dramatic number of youth, especially those likely to commit crimes. From 15 to 24 years, Oakland lost 17% of that population. From 20 to 34 years, Oakland lost 21%.

2. Oakland's older population, those above 55 years and least likely to commit crimes, gained 17% population.

3. Whites gained in population by 3%, and now comprise 34.1% of Oakland's citizens.

4. African Americans lost 28,118 citizens since 2000 to other locations, about a 20% reduction. They now comprise 30.3% of the citizenry.

5. Asians lost about 3.2% of their Oakland population and now comprise about 15.6% of the total.

6. Latinos increased 11.7%, and now constitute 25.9% of Oaklanders.

7. Oakland's foreign born population has increased less than 3% and comprises 28.9% of the population.

8. Individuals living under the poverty line in Oakland dropped by 6,577 since 2000, or about 8.5%. They comprise about 18.8% of the population.

9. Affordable housing is a hot topic. The median price for a home in Oakland increased from $235,500 to $590,800. Yet, home ownership increased by 832, about 1.3%. It is the renters who have moved out, from 88,301 to 81,426, for a drop of 7.8%. The vacant housing units increased 187% from 6,718 to 19,296. There were 30% more housing units built in the five years before 2006 than before 2000; 4,655 compared with 3,593.

10. In 2000, 62% of those over 16 were employed. The highest category, 39.2%, were employed in managerial, professional, or related fields. 59.5% of the households earned less than $50,000. The median family income, those equally making more and less than this number, was $44,384. Unemployment was at 5.14%.

11. In 2006, 64.8% of those over 16 were employed. The highest category, 40.5% were employed in managerial, professional or related fields. 53.4% of the households earned less than $50,000. The median family income, those equally making more and less than this number, was $45,552. Unemployment was at 5.27%.

San Jose and Richmond are often looked to for comparisons, especially since we're neighbors and our populations share ties. San Jose's Violent Crimes went down 28% since 2000. Richmond's Violent Crimes were almost flat, experiencing only 24 more Violent Crimes in 2006 versus 2000.

1. San Jose's African American population is only about 2.9% of the total, but significant is that it also dropped - 14.5% since 2000. Their Latino population is 32.2% of its total citizens, and that increased 9.2% since 2000. San Jose's foreign born population is 38.6% of the total, and has increased 7.3% since 2000. 10.3% of individuals live below the poverty line, but that number has increased 17% since 2000.

2. Richmond is currently 30.1% White, 28.5% African American, and 35.4% Hispanic. That represents no real change for Whites since 2000, an 18% drop for African Americans, and an over 38% increase for Latinos. Foreign born comprise 30.7% of the population and that represents an increase of 23% since 2000. Richmond's population living under the poverty line is 14.0%, and that is coincidentally a 14% decline since 2000.

Comments:

There is nothing in the demographics above to suggest any reason or offer any explanation as to why Oakland should have experienced a 51% increase in Violent Crimes since 2000... or any increase for that matter. Oakland had a very dramatic drop in youth in the ages when crimes are most likely committed by them. On the contrary, there is just as dramatic an increase in the older population where we wouldn't find many criminals. This is astounding.

Poverty has also gone down, so those who tie poverty to crime should have expected a drop in crime. Those who feel that perhaps Oakland's foreign born (3% increase and 29% of the population) are responsible for crimes, and that feeling could only come from bigotry, should look at San Jose and Richmond. They both have significantly more foreign born, and a much higher rate of increase in that category. Income, unemployment and housing factors have all either had slight improvements or exhibited little change.

Given all the comparatively benign factors, individually or collectively, Oakland should have been able to at least match the prevailing Violence reductions in California cities over 100,000 and the drops in national cities over 250,000. There has been only one change to affect Public Safety in Oakland, the introduction of Chief Tucker in the beginning of February, 2005. A 39-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, having little knowledge or experience with the OPD or City of Oakland, Mayor Brown must have felt his experience in running a tight ship in the predominantly custodial arena qualified him to constrain the violence in Oakland. It is common knowledge that Mayor Brown sincerely tried to dismiss Tucker 17 months ago. Chip Johnson had a similar report. After almost 40 months at the helm of OPD now, Tucker has cast the Police Department and its employees into confusion and turmoil, and the City is in the grips of violent chaos. By the end of 2006, 23 months later, Tucker reigned over a 43% increase that year compared with the five-year average of his predecessor. Murders were up 61%, Felony Assaults were up 60%, and Robberies were up 32%. Violence in California over that same period was down 14.3% and across the US it was down 13.2%. Robberies were down 26% in California and down 12% nationally. At the end of 2007, Violent Crimes in Oakland were higher yet, and 2008 looks like another record setting year for the paradigm escalation of Violent Crimes.

When you hear the Police Chief recite his hypotheses and generalizations why Oakland's Violent Crime rate has increased so dramatically, ask him for real, complete, and hard facts. When you hear others recite their theories, give them the real facts. When you hear that the Chief intends to lower the crime rate, ask "How?" and do not accept eyes-to-the-ceiling excuses. His version of Area Command and 12-hour shifts are not "how," they are blind-folded dart throwing without metrics. Staffing shortages, the OPOA, and insufficient money are long-running crutches of the can't-do. The precepts of Beats and 24-hour command, and the priorities of Response and Investigations, have been tossed out or de-structured by this Chief as "old practices" garbage. He's made it very tough to pick up the pieces and reconnect with the problems of public safety, but we can do it. The men and women of OPD are ready for changes that are inspiring and constructive, to replace the last few years of intimidation, neglect, and destruction of efficiency and good-will.

As for me, I've in previous essays slowly debunked the myth of baby-boomer attrition that was used to justify the panic-grab of Measure Y funds and many other hollow excuses. I've listed the fifteen harmless "side letters" with the OPOA since 1998 that the Chief told Chip Johnson kept him from being a Chief. I've recited many examples of gross inefficiencies in current police operations, including the very harmful closing of the Jail, elimination of the Patrol Division, loss of Planning and Research, decimation of Investigators, the total lack of any consistent stream of information, the overweight and isolation of the Eighth Floor, the wasteful money-handling, the low OPD morale and high job dissatisfaction, the absolute lack of definitive justification for fiat Area Command, the capriciousness and unsubstantiated claims for the 2-2-3-2-2-3 configuration of 12-hour shifts, the abandonment of priorities for Response and Investigations, the neglect for either the Patrol or PSO Beat systems, and many other cold reality reasons why accountability for the Violent Crime rate should be at Chief Wayne Tucker's doorstep.

It is with a deep pain that I and many on OPD have watched the dismantling of OPD during the past 39 months, along with the disintegration of Public Safety in Oakland. I cannot fathom the political support for Chief Tucker. In the chronic absence, incompleteness, habitual delays and consistent misguidance of City-staff generated information, the policy makers might have an excuse, but to attribute the violence as if it's some sort of bad weather pattern or earthquake fissure outside of our ability to do something about it is inadvisable.

A prognosis of terminal illness was never cured with a wait-and-see attitude.

ronoz

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Dellums on crack

NeonBunny — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:53:23 GMT

Dellums is taking a break from treking around the world in his permanent working vacation, to announce he plans to significantly raise property taxes to pay for more police!!!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/20/BASI10P63G.DTL

Ok, I'm the kind of person who will call myself a left-wing liberal, yet I see something wrong with this.

Let's see. Someone who bought a house in 2006 in the area around 98th/International. Ok, so they shouldn't have gotten that questionable loan. And they are struggling to keep up with those payments. And now, they find out that they will be paying an extra $500/month in taxes. Well, forget about it, walk away, another house foreclosed.

Will that house sell right away, or will it lay vacant, a once nice house, until kids break the windows out with rocks, the city then comes and nails boards over the windows, thieves break in and steal all the copper plumbing and the furnace leaving the house unihabitable, and a potential magnet for further criminal activity. (This is exactly what happened to the house next to me).

Ok, so Dellums has a nice job. He also has a house he bought up in the nice part of the Oakland hills in the 80's. Guess who's paying more in property taxes, the person who bought in the worst neighborhood in 2006, or the person who bought in the nicest in the 80's.

There will be another initiative on the ballot in November. This to raise the police force up from 700 to 1100, and to do so without raising taxes, and causing even more distressed neighborhoods. Instead, it would cut unnecessary city positions (such as politcal advisor to district supervisor Jean Quan).

Even if you rent and never paid property taxes, think twice before voting for this bill, it will cause more damage than good.

posted in Oaktown - 13 replies

New Ecstatic Dance in Oakland

Fri, 16 May 2008 12:12:45 GMT

Beginning May 25th
at the
Historic Sweets Ballroom
1933 Broadway, Oakland
1 block from 19th St. BART
9-10 yoga $5
10:30-1:00 dance $15

with gas prices so high I have been looking for dances closer to home. Do not know the folks but saw this posted at Whole Foods
http://www.ecstaticdanceeastbay.com
if you make it there before me let me know how it was
thanks
Zeke

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

muffler work - where to go?

whittlesjh — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:06:14 GMT

I need my rear muffler replaced - where would you suggest I take my car?
I love my mechanic for most things, but she says mufflers aren't her strong point.

thanks.
m

posted in Oaktown - 4 replies

need a fence installed

toomanyTomcats — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:49:14 GMT

Anyone have a recommendation for someone to remove a rotted fence on a property line, and install a new one? I live in Oakland.

posted in Oaktown - 4 replies

Saturday 6.7.08 THING at the QUEEF

alih — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:38:20 GMT

C'mon out to Cafe van Kleef...bring the debate offline...meet your neighbors and other awesome people, listen to a couple of my favorite bands, and raise a glass to toast my birfday.

SATURDAY 6.7.08 (7pm-2am)
Cafe van Kleef - 1621 Telegraph Ave (16-17th Sts), OAKLAND
Bike or BART to 19th St (exit 17th St steps)
$5 cover

MUSIC:
Ricky Lee Robinson - http://rickyleerobinson.com
Boxcar Saints - http://www.boxcarsaints.com
with a special appearance by Thea Izzi

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

The Uptown - Thurs nite New Wave + dance party!

Skip — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:45:40 GMT

RETRO ACTIVE PRESENTS...

CRASH
Classic New Wave, Goth, and Industrial with current Electro and Indie
Crash is every Thursday night at
The Uptown Nightclub
1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland

http://tribes.tribe.net/oaktown/photos/ac2ba66b-6183-4c18-8b17-434ba63b6f3b

With rotating DJ's:
Gatzby (Short Shortz)
Low-Life (New Wave City, 1984)
Mike W (Retro Active)
Orko (Shark Attack)
Buddy Ravell (Short Shortz)
Skip (New Wave City, SOMETHING)
Starr (Bondage a Go Go, Shark Attack)

Thursday, March 6, 2008
DJ Skip (New Wave City, SOMETHING)
Mike W (Retro Active)
Short Shortz

Check calendar for weekly DJ lineup
http://www.uptownnightclub.com/Calendar.html
http://www.clubretroactive.com/

posted in Oaktown - 19 replies

When Obama clinches the nomination....

mrcurtain — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:29:57 GMT

When Obama clinches the nomination, where's the best party going to be?

posted in Oaktown - 16 replies

Sideshows again

eastby4 — Sun, 04 May 2008 05:19:51 GMT

Yep, just a bunch of innocent kids trying to have fun

05-03) 07:32 PDT OAKLAND --

A man was found shot and killed in a crashed car early today in Oakland and two other people were shot and wounded in the latest spate of violence that police believe was related to illegal street rallies known as sideshows.

At about 2 a.m., police found a man fatally shot in a car that had crashed on the 4200 block of Foothill Boulevard. His name was not immediately released.

Another car was found crashed and riddled with bullets at 51st Avenue and Foothill, a half-mile away. Two people who had been shot in that car took themselves to a hospital. Their wounds were not considered life-threatening, police said.

Police said the triple shooting appeared to be related to sideshows, the reckless displays of stunts and speed by drivers who often are intoxicated and typically don't have licenses.

"I think we have to kind of put the responsibility back on the parents," Oakland police Lt. Jim Meeks said today. "We have to remind parents as well as young people that there has to be some moral liability to allowing your child to take a vehicle. Basically, you're giving him a weapon - it's like giving a little kid a gun."

The slaying comes two weeks after a 22-year-old woman was killed when her car was hit head-on as she participated in a sideshow at 47th Avenue and Foothill, which sits between the two crash scenes from today's incident.

The woman was killed at about 4 a.m. April 19 after reportedly "profiling," in which drivers weave across all lanes of traffic. That kind of driving tells people that "I own the lane, I own the street, because I can go back and forth," Meeks said.

At about 4:20 a.m. April 12, two cars apparently involved in a sideshow plowed through the front yard of a bungalow-style home at 2040 90th Ave. near Bancroft Avenue in East Oakland, breaking a gas line and touching off a blaze that destroyed most of the three-bedroom residence.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

posted in Oaktown - 5 replies

Personal Training in beautiful beachfront studio in Alameda

Margo — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:40:43 GMT

Perhaps your new year's resolutions have worn a bit thin by now?
Maybe you like a boost towards better health and comfort in your body?
Margo Rose here, and I have been a personal trainer and group fitness instructor for about 6 years now. I'm currently offering a 1/2 hour mini-session free of charge so potential clients can check out my wonderful studio and start learning a few new exercises.

In general my clients are women, but if you are a guy of integrity let's consider working out together.

For more information, check out my website at (www.functionalfitness4you.com). Let me know if you have any questions...
Best wishes and take care!

posted in Oaktown - 0 replies

Save Rent Control in California, Fight Proposition 98!

whittlesjh — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:08:21 GMT

Proposition 98, disguised as "eminent domain reform," is a nefarious scheme by wealthy California landlord associations to end rent control state-wide. Aside from invalidating current rent control laws and prohibiting future ones, Prop. 98 would jeopardize renter protections like just cause for eviction ordinances, 60-day notice requirements, and the return of security deposits; prohibit affordable housing requirements in new developments; and put environmental and living wage regulations at risk.

Just Cause Oakland is a mass-based organization dedicated to fighting for affordable housing for low-income people of color in Oakland. We are reaching out to friends, supporters, and volunteers to join us in our fight against Prop. 98 on the June 3rd ballot.

With such wide-reaching effects, it's important that as many folks as possible get involved in defeating this measure. We will be walking precincts in West and East Oakland and phone banking over the next 8 weeks to mobilize residents to vote NO on Prop 98 in June.

We will be having some training on our electoral work for volunteers at the Just Cause office (1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 415, in downtown Oakland). This training will give some background on the work JCO has done in the past to protect affordable housing in Oakland, give information on Prop. 98 and the competing measure, Prop. 99, and help prepare volunteers for the fieldwork we'll be doing over the next two months.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming electoral work on the NO on 98 campaign, please call Lauren at the Just Cause Oakland office at 510-763-5877 or email lauren@justcauseoakland.org.

www. justcauseoakland. org

posted in Oaktown - 58 replies

The People of Oaktown are taking it back

Rebren — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:51:10 GMT

This is what happens when the police don't do their jobs. Which maybe is exactly what they're hoping for. Be cafeful who you rob. They might just be ready for your ass:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/22/BAO5109V45.DTL

Oakland burglar shot: 'We're going to defend ourselves,' neighbor says
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

(04-22) 14:11 PDT Oakland - --

A North Oakland resident shot and critically injured a suspected burglar this morning in the resident's home, police said, the third time in a week that a would-be crime victim in the city has fought back with gunfire.

The shooting happened about 8 a.m. in a home on the 600 block of 59th Street near Shattuck Avenue, police spokesman Officer Roland Holmgren said. Police did not immediately release the name of the suspect or the resident.

Today's shooting took place a block from where 59th Street resident Patrick McCullough shot and wounded a 15-year-old boy outside his home in February 2005 after 15 young men surrounded him in his front yard, shouting, "Kill the snitch." The shooting capped a series of confrontations between McCullough and young men who police believed were drug dealers.

"We're going to defend ourselves by any means necessary," said McCullough, who is running for Oakland City Council, after today's shooting. He was not home at the time of the shooting but said he returned quickly after receiving a call from his alarmed wife.

He said residents and businesses need to arm and defend themselves because Oakland lacks enough police officers and effective anti-crime programs, including productive opportunities for young people.

"It shows crime is out control and that the people in charge of bringing crime under control are not doing their job," he said.

On Saturday night, an armed man who tried to rob Ed's Liquors on 23rd Avenue in East Oakland was shot three times and wounded by the store owner, who also was wounded in the leg in an exchange of gunfire, police said. Two days before that, a clerk at Wah Fay 8th Avenue Corner Market shot and wounded and 18-year-old Pittsburg man who allegedly tried to rob the store.

Based on descriptions from 59th Street neighbors, McCullough said he recognizes the wounded burglary suspect as someone he has seen hanging out on the street and staying at a house that has been the target of complaints about drug-dealing and other criminal activity.

A man at a home close to the house where the burglary suspect was shot said drug-dealing occurs continuously on the street.

"They do drugs all day long," said the man, who asked not to be identified to avoid potential retribution. "It's really, really bad."

He said many problems seem concentrated around Klippers barber shop around the corner on Shattuck Avenue where one night two weeks ago he heard between 17 and 20 gunshots, followed by three men fleeing on foot and attempting to run between houses on the street.

No one answered a reporter's knock this afternoon at the two-story house where the shooting occurred.

posted in Oaktown - 8 replies

Hans Reiser - guilty of first degree murder

Rebren — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:48:10 GMT

Not sure if any of you have been following this fascinating trial. The Jury just came back with their verdict: guilty of first degree murder.

Henry Lee of the Chronicle kept an amazingly detailed trial blog throughout the proceedings. A very interesting read for anyone with an interest in local crime and/or forensics in general. A first degree murder conviction without a body is pretty rare.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/localnews/index?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/28/BA9O10D8B4.DTL

Now, if only he weren't such a controlling dick and woudl reveal where her body is so the family can say their proper good-byes and have a final resting place for her that tehy can visit. Such a sad, sad story.

posted in Oaktown - 2 replies