Street closures and stepped-up city presence did appear to help reduce the unsanctioned after-hours street takeovers in front of the Fox Theater that routinely follow the official festival.
Everything that is wrong with Broakland can be seen in the misguided comments of its mayor Ms Lee. What our sad city faces is not a political issue but a safety issue. Broakland has lost control of its downtown and all the proof one needs can be seen in the shuttered storefronts and empty buildings that line either side of Broadway for blocks on end. Too bad; there used to be large department stores, elegant clothing shops and restaurants. Now its just a playground for young mobs and hooligans.
I am aware of the problems in the city which started exploding during Covid and have somewhat improved but have a very long way to go. I have an inept council member who tries to do the right things but is clearly in way over his head. Still, there are efforts to improve city governance and work within an inadequate budget. I want to give Mayor Lee, the current council, and the staff plenty of time to get back on a better path. They are trying to strengthen coordination and cooperation with other local and regional agencies and departments. It will take years. If you care about certain issues, volunteer to help. If we all contribute some time & energy, it helps.
It’s silly to blame the mayor for “everything that is wrong in Oakland.” She’s doing all the right things to manage the disorder that these huge disrespectful crowds are creating. Until you’re elected to a position of great responsibility and then make positive change, your whining and blaming others for problems falls flat.
Batya— Thank you for your comment. People who are “elected to positions of great responsibility” are expected to accept criticism and blame when the city fails to do its job. The city and its elected officials exist to serve Oaklanders, not the other way around.
In the case of mayor Lee, she has not shied away from taking credit for things she had little to do with — such as recent drops in crime and homelessness statistics, to name just two examples out of many.
By the same token, the mayor also must accept responsibility for the reality that Oakland continues to have the highest crime rate of any major city in the state, and homelessness in this city is also far more severe than in other area cities, to use the same examples. These issues do immense harm to Oaklanders every day, to a far greater degree than in other cities.
This is neither an opinion nor a criticism— it is a simple fact, plainly evident.
This, however, is a criticism: many of Oakland’s elected officials and their supporters have repeatedly shown that they prefer not to confront these realities and speak forthrightly about them— instead, they seem to prefer to paint a rosier picture of Oakland’s challenges than Oaklanders see with their own eyes.
Furthermore, many Oakland leaders and their supporters routinely resort to personal attacks on critics, rather than debating issues on the merits. It is small wonder why Oaklanders express such broad dissatisfaction with the state of the city, as multiple surveys have shown.
Thank you again for you comment; the discussion is appreciated.
Batya— Thank you for your comment. People who are “elected to positions of great responsibility” are expected to accept criticism and blame when the city fails to do its job. The city and its elected officials exist to serve Oaklanders, not the other way around.
In the case of mayor Lee, she has not shied away from taking credit for things she had little to do with — such as recent drops in crime and homelessness statistics, to name just two examples out of many.
By the same token, the mayor also must accept responsibility for the reality that Oakland continues to have the highest crime rate of any major city in the state, and homelessness in this city is also far more severe than in other area cities, to use the same examples. These issues do immense harm to Oaklanders every day, to a far greater degree than in other cities.
This is neither an opinion nor a criticism— it is a simple fact, plainly evident.
This, however, is a criticism: many of Oakland’s elected officials and their supporters have repeatedly shown that they prefer not to confront these realities and speak forthrightly about them— instead, they seem to prefer to paint a rosier picture of Oakland’s challenges than Oaklanders see with their own eyes.
Furthermore, many Oakland leaders and their supporters routinely resort to personal attacks on critics, rather than debating issues on the merits. It is small wonder why Oaklanders express such broad dissatisfaction with the state of the city, as multiple surveys have shown.
Thank you again for you comment; the discussion is appreciated.
Oakland should be a party town with parties going on all night. The “takeover” phenomenon is taking a little too far though. It would be an interesting analysis to see what percentage of the partygoers and even the street takeover folks are causing the increase in crime on Fridays. It’s sort of like saying more people fight in stadiums when there is a football game. How many people are actually fighting? Less than 1% of the crowd? Also, it would be another interesting analysis to see how rolling up the sidewalks at 6pm impacts property crime - the eyes on the street analysis. I hope the First Friday event keeps taking place. The Rowans realized this past Friday that the event is really geared for young adults (and the old guys who inexplicably think the young ladies find them charming). The blanket of weed smoke is not healthy for our son. So, we walked over to alaMar, enjoyed a great dinner, and watched the World Cup. Oakland was buzzing with activity on Friday. It was great to see!! And a special shoutout to OPD for creating the busway on Broadway I have dreamed about. That was the highlight for me - riding the #12 home and being the only moving vehicle on Broadway, if only for a few blocks. Friday was a lot of fun. I was in bed before 11pm though.
Everything that is wrong with Broakland can be seen in the misguided comments of its mayor Ms Lee. What our sad city faces is not a political issue but a safety issue. Broakland has lost control of its downtown and all the proof one needs can be seen in the shuttered storefronts and empty buildings that line either side of Broadway for blocks on end. Too bad; there used to be large department stores, elegant clothing shops and restaurants. Now its just a playground for young mobs and hooligans.
I am aware of the problems in the city which started exploding during Covid and have somewhat improved but have a very long way to go. I have an inept council member who tries to do the right things but is clearly in way over his head. Still, there are efforts to improve city governance and work within an inadequate budget. I want to give Mayor Lee, the current council, and the staff plenty of time to get back on a better path. They are trying to strengthen coordination and cooperation with other local and regional agencies and departments. It will take years. If you care about certain issues, volunteer to help. If we all contribute some time & energy, it helps.
It’s silly to blame the mayor for “everything that is wrong in Oakland.” She’s doing all the right things to manage the disorder that these huge disrespectful crowds are creating. Until you’re elected to a position of great responsibility and then make positive change, your whining and blaming others for problems falls flat.
Batya— Thank you for your comment. People who are “elected to positions of great responsibility” are expected to accept criticism and blame when the city fails to do its job. The city and its elected officials exist to serve Oaklanders, not the other way around.
In the case of mayor Lee, she has not shied away from taking credit for things she had little to do with — such as recent drops in crime and homelessness statistics, to name just two examples out of many.
By the same token, the mayor also must accept responsibility for the reality that Oakland continues to have the highest crime rate of any major city in the state, and homelessness in this city is also far more severe than in other area cities, to use the same examples. These issues do immense harm to Oaklanders every day, to a far greater degree than in other cities.
This is neither an opinion nor a criticism— it is a simple fact, plainly evident.
This, however, is a criticism: many of Oakland’s elected officials and their supporters have repeatedly shown that they prefer not to confront these realities and speak forthrightly about them— instead, they seem to prefer to paint a rosier picture of Oakland’s challenges than Oaklanders see with their own eyes.
Furthermore, many Oakland leaders and their supporters routinely resort to personal attacks on critics, rather than debating issues on the merits. It is small wonder why Oaklanders express such broad dissatisfaction with the state of the city, as multiple surveys have shown.
Thank you again for you comment; the discussion is appreciated.
Batya— Thank you for your comment. People who are “elected to positions of great responsibility” are expected to accept criticism and blame when the city fails to do its job. The city and its elected officials exist to serve Oaklanders, not the other way around.
In the case of mayor Lee, she has not shied away from taking credit for things she had little to do with — such as recent drops in crime and homelessness statistics, to name just two examples out of many.
By the same token, the mayor also must accept responsibility for the reality that Oakland continues to have the highest crime rate of any major city in the state, and homelessness in this city is also far more severe than in other area cities, to use the same examples. These issues do immense harm to Oaklanders every day, to a far greater degree than in other cities.
This is neither an opinion nor a criticism— it is a simple fact, plainly evident.
This, however, is a criticism: many of Oakland’s elected officials and their supporters have repeatedly shown that they prefer not to confront these realities and speak forthrightly about them— instead, they seem to prefer to paint a rosier picture of Oakland’s challenges than Oaklanders see with their own eyes.
Furthermore, many Oakland leaders and their supporters routinely resort to personal attacks on critics, rather than debating issues on the merits. It is small wonder why Oaklanders express such broad dissatisfaction with the state of the city, as multiple surveys have shown.
Thank you again for you comment; the discussion is appreciated.
Oakland should be a party town with parties going on all night. The “takeover” phenomenon is taking a little too far though. It would be an interesting analysis to see what percentage of the partygoers and even the street takeover folks are causing the increase in crime on Fridays. It’s sort of like saying more people fight in stadiums when there is a football game. How many people are actually fighting? Less than 1% of the crowd? Also, it would be another interesting analysis to see how rolling up the sidewalks at 6pm impacts property crime - the eyes on the street analysis. I hope the First Friday event keeps taking place. The Rowans realized this past Friday that the event is really geared for young adults (and the old guys who inexplicably think the young ladies find them charming). The blanket of weed smoke is not healthy for our son. So, we walked over to alaMar, enjoyed a great dinner, and watched the World Cup. Oakland was buzzing with activity on Friday. It was great to see!! And a special shoutout to OPD for creating the busway on Broadway I have dreamed about. That was the highlight for me - riding the #12 home and being the only moving vehicle on Broadway, if only for a few blocks. Friday was a lot of fun. I was in bed before 11pm though.