Culture
It’s been 11 days since Occupy Oakland took over Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza, and now the tent city is bigger than ever and facing eviction. Over 550 people occupy Oakland’s plaza, even after they received an evacuation notice from the City Administrator’s Office on Thursday evening. Among the concerns listed on the notice are graffiti, vandalism to plaza infrastructure and “the historic tree,” and the disruption of the plaza for public use by groups who had to relocate events which had previously been scheduled at the plaza.
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.
In recent years, Oakland has emerged as a major entry point for Mongolian immigrants. Nine years after Oktyabri’s arrival, more than 1,000 are believed to live in Oakland’s downtown alone, with more living in surrounding neighborhoods.
DMV officials opened up the Claremont Avenue office on a Sunday afternoon yesterday to meet with local residents who were angry about the agency’s decision to cut down trees in a city easement last August. Officials and community members discussed plans for new planting and park construction on the property.
The second annual East Bay Mini Maker Faire featured 150 makers, vendors, and performers showcasing unique and one of a kind products, crafts, and inventions at North Oakland’s Park Day School on Sunday.
The Oakland Raiders Booster Club gathered Thursday for its first meeting since legendary owner Al Davis died. Some of the members discussed what they think the future holds for the team, and the city, now that Davis and his larger-than-life persona are not around any more.
With four days to opening, a cast juggling day jobs and family crises, and a budget with zero to spare, veteran West Oakland theatre director Ayodele “Wordslanger” Nzinga drove to her outdoor playhouse on a rainy afternoon and wondered if this, finally, was the production that wouldn’t make it.
Every Saturday morning, volunteers from North Oakland’s Lighthouse Mosque come to the Rainbow Recreation center on 59th and East 14th Street in East Oakland to give hot food and groceries to people in need.
While much of the country took Monday off in honor of Columbus’ expedition to the New World, Phat Beets Produce farmers’ market in North Oakland took an alternate approach on Saturday with its “Decolonize Your Diet: An Indigenous People’s Day” celebration.