Just about a month ago, five people were shot during an Oakland street takeover. The lawless gatherings also are known as “sideshows,” during which motorists block off intersections and drive in circles, peeling out and burning rubber as large crowds look on and record video.
Well, early Saturday morning, Oakland suffered yet another street takeover, this one an hour long that included participants shooting guns into the air — all caught on video. Shellshocked residents complained that police were nowhere to be found, KTVU-TV reported.
‘We know that we don’t have enough police officers. … We can’t afford it.’
You can view a video report here that includes what appears to be cellphone clips showing individuals firing shots into the air during the sideshow.
Residents told KTVU they’re afraid stray gunfire may hurt someone — or worse.
“I just heard gunshots, like gunshots coming from all directions, people trying to hide. They just fire up in the air, and you don’t know where it’s going to land,” a neighbor who asked for anonymity told the station.
Indeed, the resident was one of several neighbors who told KTVU that such sideshows outside their homes near 98th Avenue and Empire Boulevard have become commonplace.
“Like a whole hour. No police. I didn’t hear no sirens at all. … Some people were on top of that house’s roof. There were fireworks included. There were blue lasers, green lasers,” a neighbor revealed to the station.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Police Chief Floyd Mitchell have appeared at recent town halls pledging to do more to combat sideshows, KTVU said. Possible solutions include the use of new technology, such as drones and cameras, and the help of the California Highway Patrol, the station said.
“We know that we don’t have enough police officers,” the mayor said one recent town hall, according to KTVU. “We can’t afford it, but that doesn’t mean that we use that as an excuse or reason not to be sure that people feel safe.”
Mitchell noted that police are “working hard to try to curb this activity. We have a sideshow detail that goes out every Friday and Saturday,” the station said.
Mitchell also said redesigned intersections could help, too, but KTVU reported that residents near Saturday’s sideshow said they’re still waiting to see city leaders keep their promises on this matter.
“I’ve been here my whole life, and it has changed, it has changed so much, and it’s frustrating because it seems like they don’t care,” a neighbor told the station.
KTVU said it reached out to police and the mayor’s office for comment on the fears and frustrations about area crime that residents have expressed — but the station said it didn’t hear back from either in time for its report.
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Sideshow, Oakland, Street takeover, Gunfire, Police, Lawlessness, Crime