January Heat Wave

Northern California is currently in the midst of a heat wave. The word January feels awkward each time it rolls off of my Midwestern tongue, especially as temperatures reached into the mid-seventies this week. There’s already talk of drought and mandatory water restrictions as a result this summer, but until water stops coming out of our faucets I’ll continue to enjoy the great weather!


Last night there was another protest held for the BART shooting death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant. This one included a march from city hall down 14th street to the courthouse and back. It was better organized and a lot less chaotic than last week’s, but still resulted in some minor vandalism as crowds dispersed. One news station showed a guy smashing the windows of a Radio Shack with his skateboard, and down the street a dozen or so guys kicked in the windows of a Wells Fargo…in related news: I bought an iPod for a great price this morning from some dude on the corner of Broadway.

I thought Mayor Ron Dellums made a good point when he said something to the effect that there can’t be selective outrage when it comes to violence in Oakland. As tragic and sensational as Grant’s death was, there are 120 murders a year in a city with a population just over 400,000—there should be outrage over every single one. The passion and intensity that was seen at last night’s protest needs to be seen on a daily basis when it comes to education, employment, gang violence, drugs and the multitude of other problems that Oakland faces. But the truth is, those problems are less exciting, progress is harder to track, and the streets won’t be lined with cops in riot gear while four or five news choppers hover above. If the people at the protests aren’t interested in those issues as well, then the last two weeks amount to little more than a whole lot of rubbernecking.