Oakland News: Protest Videos, New City Council President

Let’s take this Oakland News off to a rousing start by congratulating District Three Councilmember Lynette Gibson-McElhaney, who, a number of friends have called to tell me, will be the next Oakland City Council President in 2015.

The title is well-deserved by Councilmember Gibson-McElhaney, who has worked to cultivate many good relationships inside and outside Oakland City Hall. What I personally like about Lynette is that she listens actively and honestly. She will not trick you into thinking she’s on your side on an issue, only to turn against you – what you see is what you get.

I learned that when I first interviewed her on the campaign trail, before she won in 2012:

Of course, some of her current Oakland City Council colleagues kinda rue that considering the wild exchange between she and Councilmembers Schaaf and Kernighan, where Libby, the Mayor-Elect, jammed a finger toward Lynette and shouted “Stop it! Stop it!” after Ms. McElhaney openly shared her fear that her decision on the legislation would cost her in 2015.

Sadly, the vote on the ordinance banning the use of a bullhook on elephants employed at Feld Entertainment’s Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus was split along racial lines: all of Oakland’s African American Councilmembers failed to support it, with Larry Reid (District Seven) and Desley Brooks (District Six) voted no and Councilmember McElhaney, the future President, abstaining.

I hope that’s not the shape of things to come.

Feld Entertainment Can Be Replaced; We Need A Sports And Entertainment Commission

The fact of the matter is the bullhook law is a good one, and it’s too bad it has the two year window. The circus doesn’t bring so much economic impact it can’t be replaced, elephants should not be harmed by our hand for money, and that Feld Entertainment is allowed to hold this kind of sway over Oakland is yet one more reason we need a sports and entertainment commission, and another example of the complete dysfunction of the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum JPA. I know Larry Reid hates when I say that, but I’ll keep forcefully pounding that drum until we get the change we need – plus,  Councilmember Reid knows that I’m right. Feld Entertainment’s line of monster truck and other second-rate events can be easily replaced, and should be.

We as a city lack an entity that sends out bids on sports events, and that’s why we are in the position where such organizations like Feld are preaching to us what we need, rather than us going out and getting what we want. I started the Oakland-Alameda County Sports Commission, which would have done just that, but between then-Mayor Jerry Brown hating that I blasted him in an 2001 email and no one in the City of Oakland outside of then-economic development director Bill Claggett seeing the value of what I built, it was left to die on the vine. (I still have the documents associated with its creation, or some of them.)

But back to my point: Oakland can bid on sports events that will more than replace what Feld Entertainment might take away, and here’s a partial list culled from one at Sports Events Magazine:

Asian Basketball Championships
Senior Slowpitch Softball
Olympic Style Field Sport Event
NAIA Softball World Series

That’s just a few examples of “human powered” and not elephant-powered events and they are in addition to the following not on the list:

International Olympic Committee-related events
Women’s Final Four (considering sites through 2020)
NCAA Men’s Basketball Elite Eight
USA Gymnastics Regional Championships
USA Cycling National Championships

And there’s more – a lot more.

Folks Oakland’s not in the conversation for any of this. By contrast, San Jose, with its San Jose Sports Authority, commonly goes out and gets these events. Oakland’s failure to pay attention to sports as a business is one giant reason we still have no known, official plan for the 50th Super Bowl in San Francisco. Meanwhile, workshops will be held for women and minority-owned businesses to get work from it (want more information, visit this link: Super Bowl 50 Business).

If you’re not angry about this by now, you don’t care about Oakland. But that does seem to be the norm…

Oakland Protests

Oakland and Berkeley have been in the national spotlight as protests related to the murders of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner have drawn many thousand out. Take this email I received from the Oakland Police regarding Saturday’s activity:

Protest March – December 13, 2014 (Millions March) update

A crowd of 150 is southbound on Broadway at 38th Street.

1,200 people are marching eastbound on International Blvd/14th Street from Broadway.

We will continue to keep you informed if and when traffic is detoured or delayed.

UPDATE:

This effigy in a noose found hanging at Sather Gate at UC Berkeley Saturday morning should be cause for panic – find the bastard. This is not something the Cal community should just brush off. But my question is where is the security camera to pick up who would do this? Someone had to see this.

And this update has the blog The Shade Room reporting:

At first sight, it appears to be a racist act with the purpose of antagonizing protestors in support of #EricGarner . Well, it seems this demonstration was actually in support of the movement. This act was a way to symbolize modern day lynching. Each effigy had a name and a date on the bottom of it. It’s no coincidence that each effigy represented an African American who was lynched and didn’t receive justice.

I don’t care, it was wrong to do this.

And here are videos from Saturday’s protests:

This video is a perfect counterpoint to the nutso crazy, racist idea advanced by mainstream media that “white protestors” aren’t wanted by blacks. (If anyone tells you that, and you are white, tell them they’re crazy. No long-term talk is needed.)

But this matter of an undercover CHP (not Oakland) cop pulling a gun is just nuts:

Really?