Category: neighborhood

OK, I Was Wrong

I was saying all day that they wouldn’t get violent again.   The Bacon was in custody.   And OPD would be all over it.

Well, I was wrong.   Right now, on the news they’re saying about 40 people are running around downtown breaking windows.    

It apparently started very peacefully, with about 1,000 protestors.  Once most everyone went home, a small group started smashing windows.   I think it’s pretty clear that this is not a case of some people who were overcome by the tension or emotion of the protest.  These are the folks who had every intention of doing this from the start.   

I’ve seen some comments online over the last few days, people who seem to have something against capitalism.   They’ve been talking about targeting business.

What the fuck?!?

What, if anything, does this have to do with the issue?   Do they even remember what happened?   Are they thinking of Oscar Grant and his family at all?   This is not how change is achieved.    

I’m really bummed out, and completely pissed off.   

I don’t even know what else to say.   It’s so . . .  frustrating.

Walking Around Today

Over at Oakland Living, they have posted a list of businesses that were vandalized during the riots last Wednesday.   I decided to go and visit one of my favorite take out spots which had their windows broken, Take It Easy.   

Also, the tattoo parlor where I got my first tattoo in November, Temple Tattoo, had their windows broken, too.    

While I was on my little walk, I saw some inspirational signs of what I think is true spirit of Oakland..    I snapped these two shots on my iPhone.

img_0231

img_02322

Love Thy Neighbor & Stick It to The Man

I wish I had a camera.   I was just running over to Great Wall on College to pick up some Chinese take out, though, so I didn’t really think I needed it.   I thought I would never find a parking spot over there at that time in the evening, but I had some luck.  Right there on 63rd, around the corner from the restaurant, I found an open spot on the street.

But after I parked, I saw something that made me pause for a second.  On the pole next to my passenger side window, there was a sign that said something about a $48 ticket.   When I got out of the car I took a closer look.

The sign said basically that $48 parking tickets would be issued in that area that day between 12:30 and 3:30.  Since it was closer to 6, I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about.  The sign also said check the posting.  That’s when I noticed the cities posted “No Parking” sign.  Street cleaning is obviously from 12:30 to 3:30, but only the second Monday of the month.  Do you have to carry a calender around to know which Monday it is in order to park legally in Oakland?

Apparently not, because when I looked around, I realized that it wasn’t the only sign.  Someone wanted to make sure that everyone knew not to park on that section of 63rd today.   My first thought was, “What an awesome neighbor!”  My second thought was, “They’re doing a good job of depriving the city of revenue.”   What was the motivation behind the signs?   Maybe it was both.  Either way, I thought it was pretty cool.

Just sayin’.