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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:

Comments

Zennie said…
Deckin,

The basic problem is that all of your arguements add p to one thing: doing nothing to improve the economic development of East and West Oakland.

You say there are rec centers and other community services. Look, I've been down there representing Mayor Harris -- they're not there to meet the demand. And what's there is in terrible need of repair.

And your comment about jobs is misplaced. If you want people in West Oakland to have the positions you claim are open, you go down and give them the opportunity. You don't put it in a paper and hope they'll see it.

I can disprove your job claim with one simple experiement you or anyone can do. When you're at a table of people, pull out a $10 bill, set it in the middle of the table and say "first person to get it can have it."

If someone gets it, they have $10; if no one goes for it, they at least know the $10 is there.

Now take another $10 and hand it directly to one of the people at the table. There's no competition, and 90 percent of the time, the person will take what you're giving them.

That's economic development. When I bring opportunities for work to an area, people take them. But I have to make sure they get them.

Oakland's not doing this.

Again, I've heard your "those people" arguments before and frankly they come with not a small tinge of racism -- even from other African Americans who may be self-hating. (Racism is a mental illness, I remind you.)

The "those people" argument is decades old and has done nothing -- nothing -- to help Oakland.

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