Community
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By Samson Reiny/Oakland North Ever wondered what Oakland’s Lake Merritt sounds like at 4am? Without being there, you could have listened any time of the day if you were within a mile’s range and tuned in to 87.9 FM from April to July of 2007. Normally a jangle of static on the dial, the frequency was temporarily the site of “Talking Homes,” a radio program where 12 to 15 residents living near Lake Merritt volunteered to set up low-power transmitters…
The incessant rain didn’t stop over a thousand immigrant workers, youth and families, and their supporters, from taking to the Oakland streets Friday afternoon in commemoration of May 1st, International Workers’ Day. Skipping over puddles, completely drenched, the marchers made their way from Fruitvale Plaza to City Hall in a little under two hours.
May Day: Youth Prepare from Betty Bastidas on Vimeo. Watch as youth from Oakland prepare banners and other artwork for tomorrow’s May Day march and rally in to support workers’ and immigrant rights.
In easy view of crisscrossing highways and towering industrial parks, dozens of people marched through East Oakland’s flatlands wearing white surgical masks on Saturday. Families pushing strollers, men in suits, and kids with skateboards walked from Tassafaronga Recreation Center to Acorn Woodland Elementary School to celebrate ‘Love Yo Mama’ Earth Day and to call attention to environmental degradation in inner city neighborhoods.
Funded by various local organizations and staffed by local volunteers, Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO) offers free home make-overs to the city’s elderly. Watch as volunteers rehabilitate 92-year-old Oakland resident Henry Buford’s home of 54 years.
At the intersection of Fruitvale Blvd. and the railway tracks, despite the traffic noise, there’s another noise that stands out —the barking of dogs in the big fenced back yard of the Oakland Animal Shelter. The dogs bark over the sounds of trucks, cars, and freeway, over the railway track’s light signals, and are an early, outside indication that the shelter is totally packed.
A few weeks ago I saw a great show at Café Van Kleef in Oakland featuring the Hot Pink Feathers – the music was provided by the gentlemen in Blue Bone Express. If you have a chance, check ’em out next time you are in the neighborhood. They have a show at least once a month. http://www.cafevankleef.com/ If you know of any great live shows coming up soon, let me know – leave the info in the comments section. I’ll…
Hawaiians struggle in their native islands against the forces of tourism and militarism, according to Ikaika Hussey, publisher of the Hawaii Independent, a Honolulu-based newspaper devoted to in-depth coverage of local issues. On Sunday, March 15, at the Eastside Cultural Center in downtown Oakland, Hussey, joined by Malia Connor, founder of the Malia Movement Company, presented “Hawaiian Native Lands: Seized, Not Ceded,” a combination dance performance and discussion focused on Native Hawaiian struggles.