Oakland Liquor Store Documentary Sheds Light On The Society Around The Stores -- And The 2005 Attack On Them

Some Oaklanders in the more moneyed areas of our fair city think that improving economic development efforts in East and West Oakland will not help solve our overall crime problem.

This video on Oakland Liquor stores is a dramatic rebuttal to that idea. Look and listen to its contents. Many of the people who talk on camera tell the producers of the lack of activity in the areas where liquor stores are. "There's nothing to do but hang out at the liquor store," said one person.

The scenes of dilapidated buildings in the background in this video also offer proof of the severe level of economic underdevelopment in the areas where liquor stores are located in Oakland.

A varied number of people are also questioned on the November 23rd, 2005 attacks on liquor store owners by alledged members of the Nation of Islam. Many understand the anger of the attackers, but don't support the action.

One Oaklander said it best: why aren't there liquor stores in Blackhawk? Why are they here?

Here's the video:

"My Friend James" - Video Reports How Oakland City Council Buldozed Homeless City While Extending Hand To Katrina Victims

You can't have it both ways -- unless you're the Oakland City Council. According to the report from this unfortunate and sad video by Stephanie Alexander called "My Friend James," on September 7th 2005, the City of Oakland ordered the removal of homeless residents who had established a tent city near Embarcadero and Fifth Avenue (in the area that's planned for the "Oak-To-Ninth" development), and as the City Council was extending a hand of aid to the homeless from New Orleans in the wake of the loss of homes suffered by Hurricane Katrina.

So, when Ignacio De La Fuente and Nancy Nadel talk of compassion for those less fortunate, ask them about James and the homeless city that was destroyed.

Here's the video called "My Friend James."

"Go Dumb USA" Video Glorifies Doughnut Side Shows And Rowdy Behavior In Oakland

As far as I've experienced the problems faced in Oakland have always stemmed from the simple fact that many kids of color in East Oakland and West Oakland have nothing to do at all. There's no large community center. No "Laser Tag" or indoor game arcade. No large set of basketball courts. No field of baseball diamonds. Nothing.

Meanwhile, business owners like Ken Rawlings who was founder of Otis Spunkmier Cookies, attempted to build sports fields for East Oakland but ran up against the constant nightmare of political ego and bureaucratic entanglement that is Oakland's goverment, which controls much of East Oakland in the form of the 7,200 acre Coliseum Redevelopment Area, the largest in the State of California.

This problem has grown over a 30-year period of time and while it's reduced somewhat by Oakland's population dynamics, it' has not gone away.

Oakland's kids of color have nothing to do because they live in areas that have been underdeveloped since Oakland's manufacturing base eroded to it's almost non-existent status today from the decades leading up to 1970, and then until 1976.

Now, here's an example of the result. A whole video that not only presents cars spinning donuts in the streets, but young people -- not all of color, white too -- dancing and basically acting up. In my view, the video is not for those under 13 but it should be seen, if only to have a grasp of what's going on in East Oakland and West Oakland.

Note that the video opens with a map of California and then zooms right in on the Bay Area, and then another more detailed map of the East Bay has Oakland at its center, and the camera zooms in on the words "Oakland." That should remove any doubt of where this was filmed.

All of this is set to music, and all of it is set in Oakland.

Here's the video:

Seven! Seven Robberies In One Week In Adams Point! - That's People Held Up At Gun-Point

I saw this on the Yahoo Message Board for my neighborhood. That's just plain shocking. We need more than one cop walking the neighborhood at night. Five would be better and between the hours of 7 PM and 1 AM.

Where's De La Fuente and Nadel (who's the District 3 Council representative)? A recent poll by CBS Channel Five says she's mostly unknown -- if she jumped into this problem in her district that would change.

As to the solution, Adams Pointers need to get out and walk the neighborhood and introduce themselves to each other. We need to form a large, connected ring of people who really know each other.

We're targeted by people who don't have jobs, because we do. The economic situation has become that bad.

Meanwhile, the City of Oakland needs to get back to helping small businesses in the poorer areas grow, and forget the "big think" development for a while. The only Councilmember who seems to "get it" is District 6's Larry Reid.

Adams Point Neighborhood Meeting Monday, May 8th - 7 PM

The next regular meeting of the Adams Point group "14 X NCPC" will be held May 8th at 7 PM at the Veterans Building, 200 Grand Av, accross from Lake Merritt and near Kaiser Center.

Here's a note about the meetings's objecives:

"> Hello Neighbors:
>
> Please join us next Monday at 7pm for our regular Monthly meeting.
> Flyer with details and agenda attached. PLEASE pass on the word,
> print and post this flyer on bulletin boards, pass to your friends,
> neighbors etc. It is CRITICAL we band together in this unsettling
> period of crime
>
> Past monthly meetings are bringing 60-80 people in one room to
> effect change in OUR neighborhood. There is not enough police so it
> is simply up to ourselves to band together and be more alert
>
> Ladi will discuss her Neighborhood Watch experience next Monday.
> She had 40 people at her block meeting. This is what we want to
> replicate across Adams Point. Awareness and alertness amongst
> neighbors is the most effective deterrent. We have tools to offer you.
>
> Please show up and show your support for this effort. It is truly
> up to ourselves here so please ACT in whatever way you can to
> support the effort.
>
> We need volunteers to distribute flyers. We need volunteers to work
> on the Board. We need volunteers to be Block Captains. Please let
> me know if you have an interest in serving the community in any of
> these areas.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Conor Hickey
> Co-Chair 14X NCPC"

Dellums Has 50 Percent Favorable Poll; De La Fuente Polls More Unfavorable Than Favorable' / Nadel Unknown

This poll produced by CBS TV Channel Five is the latest evidence yet of Ron Dellums massive lead over his challengers Ignacio De La Fuente and Nancy Nadel. De La Fuente has more people who view him unfavorably than favorably in this poll; on Nancy Nadel, a large number of Oaklanders report they know nothing about her.

This also flies in the face of the SF Chronicle's flight of fancy in ignoring the hard facts that lead 8,000 Oaklanders to draft Ron Dellums to run for mayor. The SF Chronicle was clearly out of touch and makes me wonder if they really WERE smoking crack.

Hmmm....

Here are the poll results; the link to the webpage containing the results is in the title of this post.


CBS 5 Poll: Dellums Favored For Oakland Mayor

(CBS 5) OAKLAND Results of a Survey USA Poll commissioned by CBS 5 KPIX from 4/22-4/23/06 among 516 Oakland registered voters about the city's mayoral candidates. The poll has a margin of error of roughly 4%.

Is your opinion of Ronald Dellums favorable, unfavorable, neutral, or are you unfamiliar with Dellums?

50% Favorable
14% Unfavorable
19% Neutral
17% Unfamiliar

What is your opinion of Arnie Fields?

2% Favorable
13% Unfavorable
21% Neutral
65% Unfamiliar

What is your opinion of Ignacio De La Fuente?

29% Favorable
32% Unfavorable
24% Neutral
14% Unfamiliar

What is your opinion of Nancy Nadel?

20% Favorable
16% Unfavorable
30% Neutral
35% Unfamiliar

What is your opinion of Ron Oznowicz ?

3% Favorable
12% Unfavorable
20% Neutral
65% Unfamiliar

What is your opinion of Hector Reyna?

3% Favorable
18% Unfavorable
25% Neutral
53% Unfamiliar

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)