A deadlocked vote at an Oakland City Council subcommittee late Tuesday night narrowly prevented the expansion of the city’s contract with a quickly growing but increasingly controversial surveillance camera company. People waiting to speak about the contract filled the ornate third floor council chambers and most of two overflow rooms downstairs. More than 100 speakers signed up to address the subcommittee, the vast majority opposed to approving a contract with Flock Safety. After more than three hours of comments and…
Thousands of Bay Area residents gathered in Oakland on Saturday as part of a series of nationwide protests against President Donald Trump’s policies. Many attendees tried to strike a balance between the serious issues they were protesting and a lighter, festive tone, wearing comical costumes and carrying humorous protest signs. As the crowd marched down Eighth Street, Oakland residents Max Madame and Charlie Pain, both wearing clown makeup, handed out balloon animals. “Absurdity breeds absurdity,” said Pain, when asked about…