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I saw this at the APAC 14 X Yahoo Group: > Hi All, > > I just posted a recent photo of the flower thief. See the group's ""Photos" folder, and inside > that, a folder called, not too cleverly, "Suspect Photos." > > I'm still trying to determine for certain that he and "Smiley" are one and the same, though > we've gotten some confirmation on that from a few different neighbors. It's also unclear > whether he's still of interest to the police. Several of us have seen him around since he was > supposedly picked up, so we're not sure if the police are done with him, etc. > > At the very least, he's stealing flowers from all over the area. At worst, he's dangerous. If > anyone has any additional information, please post. > > Also, the Suspect Photos folder is public. Anyone ought to be able to add to that folder. > > Thanks, > > Mary Which caused me to write this reply. H

The Guardian Angels established an Oakland, California chapter in 2007 to help fight crime. Now, they need more Oaklanders to help them. Here's more on the program and you can call 510-459-9566.

Just a video of the mural, but it says a lot about what the artist thinks of Oakland. Take a look:

This Yahoo! Message Board post really bothered me: Around 4pm today there was a young African-American (teenager 15-18yo) on a bike wearing a black jacket and black knit cap. I watched him ride his bike up and down Vernon a few times checking out cars and apartments. I called the OPD non-emergency number just in case for peace of mind. It seemed like he was checking out the neighborhood. Just thought I would give everyone a heads up. That caused me to answer back with a plea for all to first, ask questions. That teenager could very well be someone who lives in the neighborhood who's just riding close to home. I talk to people; so should you. If you're reading this and have some weird racial boundary issues, do us all a favor and get rid of them. Please. Thanks!

Amanda Stokes, a 33-year-old blonde white female at 5 foot 4 inches is missing and has been since Sunday, November 25th. According to a flyer that's posted at Oakland's Cafe De Bartolo on Grand Avenue, her car was found at 5000 Park Blvd -- a Black 2001 Honda Accord -- across from the Lutheran Church. If you recognize the photo and live in the Adams Point / China Hill area, it's because she worked at Cafe De Bartolo. If you have any information, please call 404-931-7044. Here are other photos of Amanda with friends.

The 55,000 square-foot Whole Foods Market has just opened today at 27th and Harrison and brings good news and the promise of reviatalization to an area that has been waiting for both for too long. I was given a tour of the new place one day before its opening by Jolyn Bibb, Marketing Specialist of Store Openings for Whole Foods. While the video shows the store and what Jolyn said, I can tell you its quite a place to be in. A breath of fresh air. There's an official opening today which begins with a "Bread and Baking" ceremony at 8:45 am before the doors open at 9 AM. Through the day there will be music, food samples, and a guest appearance by famous local chef Paul Bertolli. Plus, reusable Whole Foods Market Green Bags will be given to the first 5,000 customers with a purchase of $15 or more, and a raffle for a giant gift basket filled with a variety of products. There's a lot of food stations in this facility as well. There's something called a dine-i

This is a shocking report delivered as a video by me and about a document and its findings called "Violent, Property, Crime & Arrest Rates" in Oakland. The video has the details and I'll lay them out in a text fashion in another blog post.