Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

The landlord of the Parkway Theater at 18th Street and Park Blvd in Oakland evicted the Parkway Theater after severely raising the rent. It's last day was today, March 22nd, 2009, but the theater can be saved. As an employee reports in this video, the closure was fast; the employees got the notice just four days ago, giving them little time to make adjustments and throwing lives into chaos. Apparently, the theater just had not drawn a lot of people -- or at least enough to pay the rent -- to maintain itself. In the words of the persons I talked to -- some on the video -- the movie house was not showing what the public wanted to see. I think a larger issue was marketing, or the lack of it. A new approach should include having ways that bloggers can put a Parkway widget on their blogs. Also having the Parkway on as many social networks -- like Twitter -- as possible would really keep its name out there. The bottom line is the place Kyle and Catherine Fisher raised $140,000...

Scott is the friendly owner of the Hawaiian Regional Coffee Roaster booth at the Oakland Grand Lake Farmers Market. He makes great coffee, but the economy's effecting sales. He talks about the problems and asks for your support

From MSNBC - March 22: Three police officers in Oakland, CA, have been killed after being involved in a shootout with a suspect who had allegedly violated his parole, another officer is in critical condition. (MSNBC)

From AP: Police say three officers and a suspect are dead and another officer is in grave condition after two related shootings, the first after a traffic stop and the second after a massive manhunt ended in gunfire. (March 21)

Oakland Police Officers  Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and Sgts. Ervin Romans, 43, and Daniel Sakai, 35, members of the SWAT team and motorcycle officer, John Hege, 41, who is in grave condition, were all shot in the line of duty Saturday.  Dunakin, Romans, and Sakai are dead.  This is what Oakland Police talk about.   This is why police take the precausions they do.  It's the heart of what we all fear, both the officers and the people of Oakland.  My heart and tears go out to the slain officers who were serving all of us.  And it's a stark reminder of what I said just two days ago on Christina Marie's show "CrossTalk San Francisco": our society is more dangerous now than ever.   It's not just the police shooting.  It's the muggings and threats that impact employees at the University of California Office of The President in downtown Oakland.  These incidents are so frequent of late, that U.C.  officials are strongly considering lea...

Tonight our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the officers who gave their lives defending peace in our city. This is undeniably one of the worst days in Oakland’s history. It is impossible to explain such a senseless and tragic crime. Our police officers risk their lives every day that they are on the job, and we honor them for their service, their bravery and their dedication to Oakland. The members of the City Attorney’s Office grieve the horrible loss of officers who dedicated their lives to serving and protecting our city. Our sincerest condolences go to their families, their colleagues and the entire Oakland Police Department. John A. Russo Oakland City Attorney

I exited Rockridge BART Station and walked into a protest of the New Year's Day shooting of Oscar Grant by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle. I talked with onlooker, protesters, and BART Spokesperson Linton Johnson. According to the protester I talked to in the video, there are a series of these events pre-scheduled at http://nojusticenobart.blogspot.com