Community
With a wag of her tail feather, Oakland East Bay Symphony violinist and stand-up comedian Dawn Harms wooed the crowd of elementary school students at Oakland Technical High School on October 20th as part of The Musical Time Machine performance by the Oakland East Bay Symphony’s annual Young People’s Concerts series, which is designed to engage children and teach them about music. The symphony offered six free shows at Oakland Tech and Allen Temple Baptist Church from October 20th – October 22nd.
Families, physicians and volunteers came out to Children’s Hospital this weekend in support of the third annual Radiotón Para Nuestros Niños, a fundraiser in partnership with Spanish radio station KRZZ 93.3 LA RAZA.
There used to be grass here, but it didn’t last long―not after the bodies started multiplying and the make-shift community started growing. Now the space is covered in mud and heaps of hay. And a runaway pancake that slid off of someone’s blue-plastic plate. And a stray sock, and a boardwalk of planks. And feet. Hundreds of feet. This used to be Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, but not any more. Welcome to Occupy Oakland.
Homes where families used to live, beloved pets left behind, a phoenix rising from the flames—a ceremonial visit to these hand-painted images, which adorn thousands of tiles at Rockridge’s Firestorm Community Mural Project, was one several Saturday events winding up the 20th anniversary week of the devastating 1991 Oakland Hills fire.
After police served Occupy Oakland campers an eviction notice last night, demonstrators took to the streets, marching in a circuit around Lake Merritt this morning, October 22. The march lasted about three hours and remained peaceful. It appeared to span a wide range of age, race, religious and political differences. When asked about the possibility of eviction, one man, who only gave his first name Ethan, said, “I’m not going to fight them, but I’m definitely not going to leave.”
One of the most diverse regions in the world, the Bay Area hosts a variety of community centers where newcomers who speak little English and know nothing of the local customs can attain information and meet others like themselves. Almost all of these groups serve immigrants from foreign countries, but one of the oldest such places was never meant to serve immigrants at all.
The Nightcap is a series that features a favorite Oakland drinking establishment every Friday afternoon. This week, it’s Bar Three Fifty-Five in downtown Oakland, run by Travis Dutton and Patrick Lynch, two rockers-turned-entrepreneur.
Alameda County health executives and government officials hope the launch of a new website that will help residents like Wan and those who are underinsured or uninsured connect with medical resources faster and more easily. ACHealthCare.org, which officially launched last week, is the nation’s first website that compiles free and low-cost local health resources into a searchable database.
Mayor Jean Quan, along with fifth graders from Martin Luther King and Lincoln Elementary schools, launched the kickoff of the The Bay Area Science Festival, scheduled for October 29th to November 6th. The festival will include hands-on activities, lecturers, exhibits, experiments, and games for students.