Oakland News: Art Murmur / First Friday Security, Rockridge Mtg, City Hall Violence

In this Oakland News, the latest security report from the Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday event is slated to come before the Oakland City Council tonight at 5:30 PM. The report was originally written and presented February 27th, and in the wake of the terrible, horrible shooting that took place at the February gathering – one that took the life of Kiante Campbell.

My take is that we’re going in the wrong way in downsizing Art Murmur / First Friday, but then the report makes an excellent point: that the entire happening grew organically and without an official organization to manage it, let alone direct its growth. Last year, portions of Telegraph Avenue were closed down, but that action was not initiated by the City of Oakland, or with its consent – it happened as people drove in vehicles like a rolling concert room, and parked it smack in the middle of the street.

That said, we need an organization, but more important we need to expand the event so that it becomes Oakland’s version of South-By-Southwest. I first got that idea after an interview I made, but only posted the Tout version, of an interesting meld of art and tech at Art Murmur.

But I digress.

If you’ve not seen the security report report that was written by Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan and Oakland Marketing Head Sammie Roberts, here it is:

City Of Oakland Report On Security For Art Murmur / First Fridays – Oakland City Council

Rockridge Neighbors Get New Website, But 20th Century Thinking

On Thursday, the Rockridge Community Planning Council will hold its RCPC Town Hall Meeting – that’s March 21, 7:30-9 p.m. at the Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue at Manila.

But what they want you to do at the meeting is give feedback on the new RCPC website. I’ve seen it and you can too, here: http://www.rockridge.org

But here’s the question: why do I need to go to a townhall meeting to talk about a new website, when I should be able to do it on the website? Right? That’s 20th Century thinking in a 21st Century World. Now I’m really in favor of personal contact, but not a townhall meeting to talk about a website.

Just saying.

My take on the website? It looks nice, but it lacks a message board or social network connections. Where’s the buttons that take me to the Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and other social network and online pages? They’re not there at all.

And no community message board link.

The result is a nice website that looks like it was made in 1999, rather than in 2013.

Just saying.

City Hall Plaza Violence Should Not Be, Regardless

In the wake of my last Oakland News post presenting a YouTube video that, when I found it, had only been seen 9 times at the time, the video has gained 2.382 views, and counting, and its content has brought what was some kind of pro-Israeli, anti-Israeli, Oakland-based beef to the attention of Oaklanders.

This video:

I’ve been criticized for taking the “pro-Israeli” side just because I pointed out the assault. That’s crazy. My concern is that Oakland’s City Hall Plaza is becoming the backdrop for violent actions carried out by one party against the other because of a difference of opinion. We have to stop this, and can’t wait for someone to get killed because they and the people they’re dealing with are not mature.

Also, free speech in the public square is a right that must be respected – period. If the person’s going to a point such that it looks like a hate crime, which was not the case here, call the Oakland Police. Oakland has some of the strongest legislation against hate actions in the World.

I remember when two groups, again pro-Israeli v. anti-Israeli, assembled on either side of Lake Park Avenue at The Grand Lake Theater. That was 2007, and here are my videos on that, shown now to make one point: violence was never part of the action:

Stay tuned.