Comments on: OMG, shocker! Oakland does something good for DTO nightlife!

By: len raphael

len raphael — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:26:14 +0000

The person who was telling me, said it was Ford and that the site was vacant ever after. i’ll check to see if i got it wrong because the only Ford plant i’d heard of was in Richmond before it left.

-len

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:24:46 +0000

Len Raphael,
Regarding Ford moving out of Oakland, are you thinking of GM moving to Fremont in the late 1950′s? The site (roughly, 73rd Ave between Bancroft and MacArthur Blvd) was later developed as the Eastmont Mall. It stayed about 20 years, long enough for the existing retail district along MacArthur Blvd to completely die, at which time it closed , leaving virtually no grocery stores or retail for many square miles.

By: len raphael

len raphael — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:11:27 +0000

the whole discussion about retaining and attracting industry here has been ongoing since the end of W W II.

i think residents even blamed their cc members for not preventing it.

Long time east oakland residents will tell you about Ford moving out of Oakland and how nothing ever took it’s place. Wasn’t that in the early 50′s? Some story about various big food processors.

According to the Beth Bagwell book about postwar East Bay, much of urban removal was intended to clear the black and white riff raff left over from the WW II boom, and open up space for industry that even then was moving out of Richmond, Berkeley, and Oakland.

Then the move was to other parts of Northern CA, later to Nevada, later to Southern USA, and then overseas, but similar reasons which are largely outside of our cc’s control.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:49:51 +0000

Yikes! I feel kinda dirty.

By: Daniel Schulman (das88)

Daniel Schulman (das88) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:53:59 +0000

well gee whiz it looks like they are swapping street cleaning times with the Jack London District. Street sweeping signs here are being changed to reflect a move FROM 3-6am TO 12-3am.

Hey my apartment might not be as busy as all of downtown but occasionally I like to “entertain” after midnight.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:38:39 +0000

Cafe Madrid is open morning to early evening. If there is an event at Paramount it will stay open a little later.

By: dave o

dave o — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:54:01 +0000

This idea that the city would cooperate with its own citizens is an obvious hoax because it goes completely against their sadistic culture, especially regarding the poor or people interested in any kind of nightlife. They promote retail because everything about retail is miserable. Much of it is created in Chinese sweat shops: miserable. Stocking shelves: miserable. Raising cash to pay for the stuff: miserable. The environmental impacts of creating the stuff: miserable. In contrast, a joyful social scene is completely offensive to the mean spirited people who shape much of city authoritarian culture. (See Geoffrey Peet, Oasis Night Club, Cafe Ace, Zanaba, Alice Arts, and many others who struggled against heavy persecution and civil-rights violations to try to make Oakland the vibrant place that it could and should be)

By: dave o

dave o — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:33:47 +0000

len,

The sideshows are an obvious display of courage the likes of which are in every culture. It is hard to see how appeals to safety are going to resonate with the participants. Actually, such appeals validate the whole point of the sideshow – that it is dangerous and therefore a good way to get the attention of females. That the police have attempted these “crackdowns” before with no effect or even counterproductive effects, makes you wonder about the intelligence behind their policies.

By: len raphael

len raphael — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:34:58 +0000

CHL, what’s your perspective on sideshows? From what little i know, the danger and overall riskiness is a substantial part of the attraction. The other part is the social scene. So try to tame them is a waste of time.

-len

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:05:50 +0000

The mailing the Ticket thing….A Berkeley Police Officer ticketed me for double parking for 30 seconds with my flashers on and never leaving the vehicle nor putting the vehicle in park. I simply stopped at a green light to grab something from a friend at the corner.

Got a ticket in the mail 2 months later.