Community

Election 2020: Oakland organizations drumming up engagement early

It’s a Wednesday night and the crowd at the Oakland Public Library in the Dimond District is buzzing. The facilitator rings a green cowbell. “Get ready for your first date. You have five minutes,” she says over the PA in the corner. The daters rush to their assigned tables, some stopping to lift a last cookie from a table in the middle of the room that’s piled heavy with pastries. Though eager, these daters aren’t looking for love. Tonight, this…

Oakland to be hit by PG&E power cuts: Useful links for Oaklanders

Oakland is expected to be among the Bay Area cities affected by PG&E power cuts starting today. According to a release sent out by the mayor’s office, the cuts will begin in some parts of Oakland at noon on Wednesday. The cuts are part of the power company’s effort to avoid sparking fires caused by downed power lines during hot, windy weather. Oakland North reporters will be out in the field all day to learn how the cuts are affecting…

Documentary screening and gallery exhibition highlight border towns, draw somber crowd

Amidst chilly Friday night winds, people gathered at Lake Merritt Tower to watch Undeterred, a film highlighting the effect that the increased militarization of border towns has on surrounding communities. The event included a screening of the film and a gallery exhibition titled “Recognition: Labor Meets Art in Explorations of Social Justice and Identity,” which was open for its last night of public viewing. The event was organized by National Nurses United union and featured talks by members of the…

New community hub aims to bring non-profit services under one roof

It was a record shop. Then it sat empty. Now it’s a community hub for non-profits. And at its housewarming party on Friday night, a crowd of roughly 250 people crammed into the space belonging to Restore Oakland, Inc. to learn about how it would be available for Fruitvale residents to use. Before making their way into the space, guests and curious onlookers watched a powerful and colorful performance from Danza Azteca Cuauhtonal, a group that practices indigenous cultural rites….

Oaklanders grab coffee with cops (and horses)

Oakland Police Department (OPD) officer Michael Tacchini loves caramel macchiatos. They aren’t his favorite, but he likes to get them when he’s in a “good mood,” he said. Tacchini and about a dozen other OPD officers were in pretty high spirits as they gathered Wednesday afternoon at a Starbucks near the Oakland Coliseum BART station. They all had volunteered to participate in “Coffee with a Cop Day,” a nationwide event that provides residents with the opportunity to meet and speak…