Pastor sentenced for Oakland abortion protest

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, February 19, 2009
(02-19) 17:58 PST OAKLAND

A pastor at a Berkeley church was sentenced Thursday to three years' probation and fined $1,000 after becoming the first person convicted under an Oakland ordinance barring protesters from coming within 8 feet of anyone entering an abortion clinic.

Walter Hoye could have faced up to two years in jail after a jury convicted him last month of two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully approaching patients at the Family Planning Specialists Medical Group at Second and Webster streets.

The case was an emotional one, and pro-choice and anti-abortion advocates jammed the Oakland courtroom for the sentencing hearing. Dozens of people unable to find seats filled the hallway outside.

Hoye, 52, of Union City appeared ready to accept a jail sentence, telling Judge Stuart Hing of Alameda County Superior Court, "I believe that an unjust law is no law at all."

Hing said Hoye was by all accounts a "decent person." But illegal conduct is not justifiable when there are legal ways of protesting, the judge said.

Hing asked if Hoye would abide by an order requiring him to stay 100 yards away from the Oakland clinic, and the pastor said no.

The judge then imposed the stay-away order anyway, fined Hoye and sentenced him to three years of probation and 30 days in jail. Hoye can serve his time in a sheriff's work detail or by volunteering.

The "medical safety zone" around abortion clinics was set by the Oakland City Council in 2007. Abortion protesters must stay at least 8 feet from women, staff or escorts entering the buildings.

The council passed the law in response to complaints of harassment at three abortion clinics in the city. Anti-abortion activists called it an intrusion on their freedom of speech.

Hoye, executive elder of the Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in south Berkeley, hands out anti-abortion literature outside abortion clinics. He was arrested May 13 at the Oakland clinic, carrying a sign that read, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help you!"

As women approached the door, he asked them, "May I talk to you about alternatives to the clinic?"

"He never laid hands on anyone," Levon Yuille, a nondenominational minister from Michigan who flew in for the sentencing, told the judge. Yuille also heads the National Black Pro-Life Congress.

Prosecutor Robert Graff said the incident was not a standard free-speech case.

"It's not that benign. It's not that neutral," Graff said.

In a statement, Katrina Cantrell, associate executive director of Women's Health Specialists, said, "When anyone restricts access to reproductive health services, every woman affected is a living example of a colonized body."

Defense attorney Mike Millen said there had been a "conspicuous absence" of patients at the trial who said they felt threatened by Hoye.

source

Oakland protest organizer watched in horror
Matthai Kuruvila, Charles Burress,Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, January 9, 2009

(01-08) 20:41 PST -- The man who organized Wednesday's BART police protest said he broke down in tears when he saw his peaceful march turn violent as some participants began throwing bottles, spitting on police cars and setting small fires.

Evan Shamar said he left the demonstration and watched on television as the situation got worse.

"I was devastated by it," said Shamar, 24, a photographer who lives in Oakland. "I worked diligently for the past 72 hours, and for it to be destroyed by a group of anarchists was extremely upsetting. I felt like my integrity had been compromised."

Shamar and others organized their rally to pressure authorities to more rigorously investigate the fatal shooting by BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle of Oscar Grant, who was unarmed and lying facedown on the Fruitvale Station platform on New Year's Day.

To organize the rally, Shamar said he and others drove from Dublin to Vallejo to San Francisco, handing out thousands of flyers. He posted notices online on a slew of sites, including Facebook groups, Indybay.org and MySpace.

The event began at 3 p.m. as a peaceful forum at the Fruitvale Station, where hundreds of participants waved signs and listened to speakers take turns at a microphone to voice their anger over the shooting and alleged police abuses. They sang civil rights songs. They said prayers.

Dereca Blackmon, 38, another of the organizers, said the rally was intended to provide a "safe and proactive venue where citizens would be able to express the pain and the outrage that they felt at the execution of Oscar Grant III."

The event, Blackmon said, was meant as an alternative to violence.

"It's what the city should have done. It's what BART should have done, so people wouldn't feel that the only way to be seen is to take to the streets.

"We are nonviolent, and we have a responsibility to spread nonviolence," Blackmon said. "We did what we came to do: We had an incredible, peaceful, positive forum where citizens of all ages expressed their pain and outrage."

But around 5 p.m., about 200 demonstrators left the Fruitvale Station and began marching toward downtown Oakland.

Not everyone agreed a march was the best thing to do.

Blackmon, who opposed the march, said she felt there needed to be a trained group of facilitators escorting marchers and working closely with police to maintain safety.

She said she was worried about some of the more uncontrollable elements at the Fruitvale rally.

"We did not feel that there had been proper preparation for it to be safe," said Blackmon, who said she's organized several demonstrations before.

Shamar disagreed.

"I did not want to stay confined in one area where we would not be seen," he said. "I wanted to let everyone know what was going on. I wanted to make it clear the city was outraged."

When the marchers reached the Lake Merritt BART Station around 6:15 p.m., Shamar saw things start to go bad. Marchers began kicking newspaper stands and using papers to start fires. As he saw them throwing bottles and spitting on police cars, Shamar said he wept and returned to the Fruitvale Station.

For the next four to five hours, marchers smashed and burned cars, shattered storefronts and clashed with police. Eventually, police arrested 105 protesters.

Shamar and other organizers said their cause was exploited by those who simply wanted to wreak havoc.

Organizers say Wednesday night's chaos revealed some of the limitations of community organizing, as opportunists can quickly co-opt a loosely organized group. But they added that it also shows promise. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums made a personal attempt to quell the crowds, empathizing with the people's anger but urging calm.

"The mayor was forced to come out and acknowledge that the citizens of Oakland are angry and that we want Justice," Shamar said. "I'm not condoning violence, but sometimes to get justice, you can't just sit around holding hands singing 'Kumbaya.' "

On Thursday, dozens of shopkeepers and car owners swept up the shards, dealt with contractors and talked to their insurance companies. Several kept their storefronts boarded up, fearing vandals would return quickly and smash the glass windows again.

Shamar and Blackmon empathized with the vandals' anger, but deplored their tactics. But others weren't so critical.

"I uphold the whole protest from start to finish," said Reiko Redmond, one of several people from Revolution Books in Berkeley who were in downtown Oakland on Wednesday night. She called the events a "righteous rebellion" that stemmed from a long history of oppression and police brutality.

Redmond wouldn't say whether she knew anyone involved in the vandalism.

"That's somewhat an inappropriate question," she said.

Others described the violence in other ways. The victims of vandals had little to do with Grant's killing, acknowledged Hillary Lehr, a 24-year-old from Berkeley who is starting a nonprofit aimed at democratizing the UC Regents and who was also present Wednesday night.

"But if your systems of government to make change are unavailable, if your justice system isn't just, if your police department is attacking and murdering citizens, people are going to show that anger and frustration in people's immediate surroundings," she said.

Blackmon, the Fruitvale rally co-organizer, said the disproportionate amount of attention given to violent protesters encouraged their behavior.

"If people committing violence are doing it to get attention," Blackmon said, "they certainly get more attention than people doing things peaceful and positive."
The BART shooting

Events in the case since New Year's Day:

Jan. 1, about 2 a.m. - Reports of fighting between two groups on a BART train leaving the West Oakland Station prompt five transit agency police officers to intercept the Dublin-Pleasanton train at the Fruitvale Station and detain at least three young men, including 22-year-old Oscar Grant of Hayward, who was returning from a night of holiday revelry in San Francisco with friends.

Jan. 1, about 2:15 a.m. - Grant, unarmed, is shot by BART Officer Johannes Mehserle on the station platform. Police lead other men from the platform, but no one is charged in connection with the fight.

Jan. 1, 9:13 a.m. - Grant is pronounced dead at Highland Hospital in Oakland.

Jan. 1 - Mehserle, after being separated from other officers, after the shooting, confers with an attorney and declines to speak to BART investigators and Alameda County prosecutors.

Jan. 3 - John Burris, an attorney hired by Grant's family, says Grant was shot in the back while lying face down.

Jan. 4 - KTVU airs a video obtained from a BART rider who filmed the shooting on a cell phone from inside a train car. A second cell phone video emerges later. Both appear to support Burris' account.

Jan. 7 - Dozens of African American leaders and Oakland officials go to Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff's office, demanding a meeting. Orloff promises to move quickly toward a decision on possible charges for Mehserle.

Jan. 7, 11 a.m. - Mehserle's attorney turns in the officer's resignation letter. Funeral held for Grant.

Jan. 7, 3 p.m. - Several hundred people gather at the Fruitvale Station for a protest. Eventually, a group peels off and heads toward downtown Oakland.

Jan. 7, nighttime - For several hours, a mob breaks car and store windows downtown. In all, 105 people are arrested.

Jan. 8 - Grant's family pleads for calm. Authorities say Oakland police will join the investigation of Grant's death.

source

i am guessing most people heard about what went down here in oakland early in the morning on new year's day. ( in a nutshell, behind the cut, in case you have not. ).

anyway, today was the funeral for the victim (oscar grant). there was also a massive protest that started at fruitvale station (which is a few miles from my house). protesters actually shut down the station for a good part of the afternoon/evening. then the protest moved toward downtown (edging closer and closer to my house). that's where it turned violent. a few protesters tried to set a police cruiser on fire with a burning dumpster. windows were smashed, businesses were broken into, and there was more violence. the riot squad came in and used tear gas and bean bags to try to calm the violence. that didn't work too well. (here is a link that tells the story better than i can.)

anyway, i was in san francisco throughout most of this taking care of a dear friend who had a medical procedure. initially, i wished i could have been at the BART protest (at the station) on my bike, but in retrospect i am glad i wasn't there. i got home to helicopters flying over my house, police everywhere, and closed streets everywhere. i think (and hope) that most of the violence is through. this could be rodney king all over again.

i am furious about the BART shooting. i am disgusted about what seems like racism behind it. but i do not condone violence. ever. i am so sad for oakland tonight. my city is a beautiful city and we get such a bad reputation ("oakland is like detroit...", etc). this is going to escalate that bad reputation. i am praying for peace in oakland tonight. this is one of the saddest days oakland has ever seen.

i love my city. i love my neighborhood. i love the majority of the residents of this great city. i am just so sad (and so so so so so angry about the shooting) right now that i can't properly express myself through words.

please let there be peace in oakland. and please let the officer, who shot and MURDERED oscar grant, be prosecuted as a REGULAR citizen (not a cop) and brought to justice. and please, can this violence just stop?

edit: i just want to add a few more thoughts. i am pretty sure oscar grant would still be alive tonight had he not been black. i am also so sad (and ANGRY) for anyone who has to fear for their life every time they see a cop. because that is what is happening to a segment of our population after this.

i usually do a live music roundup at the end of every year. usually it's about 90-95% indigo girls shows. 2008 was very different for me. and i have to say, 2008 was awesome in terms of concerts i attended.

there were a few house concerts and private shows that i went to that i can not write about publicly (sorry for the vagueness), so with the exception of those, here is my year in terms of live music:

january 2008:
i saw lady miss kier (yes, of dee lite) DJing at the mezzanine here in san francisco. the show was on the eve of joey's birthday, and we went to celebrate his birthday (and because he is/was a dee lite fan). the show was actually a lot of fun, and i have never been asked for so many hard drugs in my life (some kid came over to us looking for e and/or coke. we had neither. of course.)

i was supposed to attend four indigo girls shows in the midwest. all of them were either canceled or postponed due to emily coming down with the flu. some of the shows were rescheduled, but since i didn't want to go back to the midwest, i didn't go to any of the rescheduled dates. it was very disappointing, but thankfully the whole trip to the midwest wasn't a bust, i had to be in chicago anyway because my flight for africa left from o'hare. sadly, my friends laura and bonnie flew to the midwest for these shows too, and they really ended up in the midwest in january/early february for no reason. sad.

february 2008:

i was in africa for most of the month. while i didn't seek out any shows while i was there, i happened upon a traditional african duo in mozambique. that was quite cool. for the second half of their set, they did not play traditional african music and instead played beatles covers on their guitars. not quite as impressive. (what is it with beatles covers? i've seen "yesterday" covered by bands in japan, mozambique, france, and vietnam now. i know it's an insanely popular song, but come on!!!)

march 2008:

holyshit. i saw the black crowes live for the first time and was immediately in love. joey had loaded up my ipod with crowes music for my africa trip, and i was actually a very casual crowes fan throughout college and high school, but seeing these boys live blew me away. all of them (with the possible exception of adam) are real musicians who know how to jam. this one show made it so i will now travel for the indigo girls/amy ray AND the black crowes (for years, i'd only travel to see the indigo girls/amy ray solo. not any more. this was epic for me.)

april 20008:

joey and i went to tahoe to see the crowes. i don't really remember any details from this particular show except that i had an amazing time. i even made "friends" with some crowes fans in line. OH! and i saw mona (one of their backup singers, who i have a "thing" for) before the show. i said "mona, i love you," and she told me she loved me back. i also sweet talked the casino worker into giving me the poster for the show. good times.

the next night we went to see mark ford (former guitarist for the crowes) at blake's in berkeley. sadly, i got sick during the show and missed most of it, but what i saw/heard was impressive. joey said it was really good. i will take his word for it.

may 2008:

i saw girlyman, one of my past favorites, in berkeley at the freight and salvage (i hate that venue). it was a very "meh" show, and despite being far from sober, i found myself quite bored. by far the least impressive girlyman show i had ever seen. i slowly began losing interest in them after that show. that girlyman gig was perhaps the most disappointing show of 2008 for me.

june 2008:

the indigo girls were on the west coast, and where they were, i was there too (with the exception of the horrible venues in southern california. i actually skipped those shows). i love love love love the indigo girls (as 99% of those reading this know), but i am sad to say, i found the summer shows to be really weak for them. i am not saying i didn't have a good time - i had a GREAT time. and the shows were still awesome, hey, when amy and emily are on stage together, awesomeness occurs. but there were very few setlist surprises, and out of the 200+ indigo girls shows i have seen, i have seen MUCH better. none of the summer 2008 shows made my list of "top 10 indigo girls shows i have seen," or even top 20 for that matter. it wasn't all about the concerts, though. i had gotten some really bad news on the morning of one of the shows. and despite all of that, i still managed to have fun. plus it was so much fun to go up to the pacific northwest and see bonnie, courtney, and julianna. annnnd, joey got to see lovely oregon for the first time, so that was fun too! out of all of the shows, i think the best was the first one i saw, in yountville, california (near napa). i was stoked to be seeing the girls again, and there were some, um, very entertaining audience members. ;) the veneta show was also a highlight of that tour for me, not for the actual show, but for the fact that it was at one of my favorite venues (a general admission winery in beautiful central oregon) and because i got to meet a lot of really awesome people!

july 2008:

i saw the weirdest gov't mule/ratdog show EVER! the show was supposed to be at this outdoor venue on the peninsula (the mountain winery), which is a bit snotty, but it's still an outdoor venue. however the day before the show, the crew at the mountain winery realized that the renovations would not be completed in time for the show. so this hippie show was moved to the san jose center for the performing arts. yes. that kind of venue. however, i am pretty sure the venue staff was given clear instructions not to bother any of the concert goers about anything. no one was in their "assigned" seat. and the best parts?!? people were straight up smoking up inside the venue. the san jose performing arts center smelled like a marijuana collective! and the hippies did not leave their hippie dogs at home! joey and i witnessed a few big digs running up and down the ramps at the performing arts center. as for the concert itself, i was impressed with gov't mule (warren haynes can have my babies), but not so much with ratdog. oh bob weir... sorry, but the former members of the grateful dead are nothing without jerry. sorry.

august 2008:

thanks to my friend lynn, i got to see dolly parton for free at the greek theater in berkeley. it was a lot of fun. we had amazing seats, and dolly sure knows how to put on a great show!

while we didn't have tickets, joey and i headed to golden gate park to see radiohead at the first (and maybe last) outside lands festival. although i wished i could see better, thom yorke and radiohead put on a fucking amazing show. radiohead is a band that i like. a lot. but i hardly listen to their recorded music. live is where it is at for them!

on the last day of the month, i got a very special treat (and kind of a lifelong dream of mine). the indigo girls were playing a mere six blocks from my house! the people at the oakland art and soul festival somehow managed to book them. it was an amazing show, and i think it was the best IG i saw in 2008. it wasn't the setlist (though it was quite varied, even for a festival), but it was the fact that i was seeing a band i have traveled to the UK to see within walking distance of my house. i was in my usual spot (front row, amy side/center) and many of my non IG fan friends came to the show (namely marin and kelley), and i had a freaking blast! matt nathanson "opened" for them and i was a lot more impressed with him than i thought i would be. really, can it get much better? the indigo girls for $10 six blocks from my own bed. nah, it can't! and to add to the specialness, laura came up from san diego for the show.

september 2008:

joey and i went to power to the peaceful (free spearhead festival in golden gate park) to see warren haynes play solo. that day solidified the fact that warren haynes can have my babies. while i really like gov't mule, i would say warren solo is probably in my top five or six of favorite musicians. he ended his set with "soulshine" and while it's "the 'galileo' of warren haynes," i genuinely love that song and i loved singing it with all of the hippies at golden gate park. joey and i were going to stick around for spearhead, but it was an unusually hot day in san francisco, so we went to the beach instead. it's all good - i have seen spearhead several times.

a few weeks later, we drove up to arcata (humboldt county) to see the black crowes at a small theater on hsu's campus. i really liked that show because a) it was mellow and b) they played "forgiven song," which i was creaming over. but chris' voice was bad. way bad. bad enough that the rest of the tour was canceled due to his illness. major bummer for joey and me because we had tickets to two more shows. both canceled. i think in 2008 i had a record number of concerts canceled on me (indigo girls earlier in the year). but of all of the shows on that tour, i was glad that humboldt was not canceled! seeing the crowes (big stoners) in humboldt county (and we all know what humboldt is known for) was sweet. and yes, i brought some "souvenirs" from humboldt home with me (although i get them here at home, regularly ;) )

october 2008:

i went to the hardly strictly bluegrass festival (free. again, in golden gate park. i love san francisco!) to see robert plant (of led zepplin) and allison krauss do their thing together. it was kind of a cluster fuck of people, and the show was a lot flatter than i had expected. then i gave their duet cd a listen, and it was flat flat flat. still, i had a good time in the park with my friends.

in mid-october i flew to the midwest to catch a few of amy ray solo gigs since (at the time) she did not have any west coast dates up. i fucking love that woman solo and had not seen her solo since 2005 (which, fair enough, was the last time she toured solo). i had a blast at all of the gigs (of course). i hooked up with some old friends on the road (jib, sarah, amy, nancy) and it was great to see them! hearing the songs off of didn't it feel kinder live gave that album a whole new dimension for me. plus arizona, her opening band, was great as well. i simply can not wait to catch amy's gigs on the west coast later this month. whereas the indigo girls shows were mediocre (for IG shows), the amy shows were fan-fucking-tabulous! she even played "chiapas bound" at a small club in champaign, illinois.

november 2008:

the night before flying to kentucky and illinois for an extended thanksgiving holiday, joey and i saw gov't mule at the fillmore. it was a really fun show, and i was glad that mule played a full set as opposed to their opening set for ratdog. plus the fillmore is a better venue for them. the show didn't end until after one in the morning, but it was worth it to stay for the whole thing. not only was the whole set really great, but the poster (fillmore poster) is one of my favorite fillmore posters that i have. i will gladly pay to see gov't mule again.

december 2008:

on kind of a whim, joey and i went to the fillmore to see the coup, my favorite hip hop band (local bay area too). that show was so memorable in that neither of us were expecting it to be as much fun as it was. for now on, anytime the coup is in town, i will see them. we were in the front row (which is not unusual for me at concerts) right in front of pam the spinstress. joey and pam even had a few "moments." sadly, we were also by the rude drunk girl and the drunk couple who almost threw up all over me. but hey, it all goes with the territory.

and finally, the crown jewel of my 2008 concert going came in mid-late december: five nights of the black crowes at the fillmore (i was starting to feel like i should just live at the fillmore i was there so often). joey and i went to all five nights. kenny, my favorite member of joey's family, flew in for four out of five of the nights (joey thinks that the first show was the best and can't believe that he missed the first show!). there were so many amazing moments and so many highlights. since this wasn't so long ago, i am still processing it all myself. so instead of a recap, here are a few things i learned at the five night black crowes' fillmore run: 1) i am not a fan of phil lesh. 2) if there's not a barrier up and someone jumps on stage, there will be a barrier up the next night. 3) some crowes fans are amazingly awesome. we made some new friends. 4) some crowes fans are psycho ie the crazy dancer and the "YOU DON'T THINK I'M PRETTY?!??!" low self esteem girl. 5) a band that plays an unexpected setlist filled with surprises owns a piece of my heart. and 6) i can't believe the black crowes were in freaking oakland in 2007 and joey asked me if i wanted to go and i told him no. *KICKS SELF HARD. VERY HARD* i have recordings of all five nights and am constantly rocking out to them, letting the memories last a little longer.

so while 2008 wasn't a great year for me and the indigo girls (shitty venues, bad tour dates, my unwillingness to go to the east coast, canceled shows), 2008 was a great year for live music all around. i want to send a super loud "THANK YOU" shout out to joey, who basically pulled me out of my indigo/aray exclusivity and introduced me to so much more.

here's to a great live music year in 2009. we're already off to a great start... amy ray is coming west in about three weeks!

remember how much i hated my old apartment? remember how the landlord was a slumlord and never did anything for her tenants? remember how she harassed me about my cats (though i signed a lease that allowed for two of them), constantly tried to raise the rent illegally and often tried to collect new "deposits" from me (years after i moved in)? remember how no one in my building had hot water for a few days because she forgot to pay the water bill (hence forcing me to shower at a friend's place)? remember how the whole building was falling apart and seemed like a safety hazard? remember how there was never a building manager or anyone to call in case of emergency because my landlord would abuse and take advantage of everyone who worked for her, so they'd all walk out? remember how my kitchen sink started spitting up black soot and i had to call a plumber and pay out of pocket because i called my landlord and that's what she said to do? remember how she then tried to fight me (unsuccessfully) when i deducted the plumbing bill from my rent? remember how many times i had to call the renters board and the oakland tenants' union on her sorry ass? remember how happy i was to get the fuck out of there?

well, kids, judgment day has arrived. and that old fucking douche finally got what she deserved. maybe she'll rethink her racist, bigoted, slumlordiness next time. because that cum dunt owes $31,000 (plus her name is now shit as she made the san francisco chronicle).

( being black and sitting on the front steps does NOT make the building 'ghetto.' what does make the building 'ghetto' is the lack of maintenance and responsibility by the owner. )

and i can promise that o'neill was NOT "nothing but nice to this young couple" because she was a fucking witch to *everyone*.

she got what she deserved. my only hope is that more people come forward and sue her.

thank tha lord i am out of 3301. oh maryland apartments, how i will NEVER miss you!

my photos from the indigo girls at oakland art and soul festival are on my flickr.

sadly, from my angle, emily was directly in the sun. so i don't really have that many good photos of her.

i was uber excited about the indigo girls at the oakland art and soul festival. for starters, the stage was, oh, six/seven blocks from my house. i have to say, it was pretty nifty seeing a band that i have followed all over the world in the middle of a street that i regularly walk/bike/drive down in downtown oakland. also, while this was a festival and obviously a fly in/fly out show (less gear), i actually thought it was better than the bulk of shows i saw this summer. the girls were ON FIRE. julie wolf (a hometown girl!) was with them for the first half of their set, but had to leave for another show halfway through. matt nathanson (who i had never really heard of but am now a fan) played a few songs with them too. they honored del martin. most of my friends (non IG friends) were there with me because oakland art and soul was another regular sunday for them, doing something fun in our hometown. it was fun to introduce my friends to the live IG experience! the weather was perfect too, the heatwave has ended. the downfalls were of course a shorter set because it was a festival and my favorite boy having to bail at the last second due to illness.

we were (of course) front row, dead center, touching the stage. that's what happens when you arrive before the gates even open. ;)

here is IG's setlist, as played:

shame on you
least complicated
become you
fill it up again
gone again (!!!)
(a speaker about del martin's life from the lyon martin health services)
power of two (dedicated to del martin and phyllis lyon)
go
get out the map
three hits (!!!)
the wood song
money made you mean
last tears
reunion (!!!)
pendulum swinger
sugar tongue
fleet of hope
closer to fine (w/ matt nathanson)

(encore)
kid fears (w/ matt nathanson - he blew it away! the only better kid fears guest i have heard is trina meade from three5human. seriously, matt's vocals kicked ass on kid fears!)
galileo

other festival highlights:

raysterfiend's rick springfield solo during matt nathanson's set

all of the obama people out in full force (hello, it's oakland)

sprinting 1/2 a mile to the stage

matt nathanson's set (and his gaggle of teenage girls. LOL) and meeting matt after his set. as i said, now i am a fan.

walking around the festival and being so proud to live in oakland (and proving to the OPD by rattling off five reasons why, "i hella (heart) oakland" (as my tee shirt said). just being at a festival in my hometown with the indigo girls!

all in all a great day.

edit: photos are here!

the indigo girls are playing a show less than a mile from where i live today.

this is insane, considering i've followed them to shows in the uk, alaska, all over the opposite coast, and just about everywhere in between. and today i'm walking to their concert...

insane.

i am so excited.

*bounce* *bounce*

tonight i attended a very special viewing of obama's acceptance speech at the parkway theater in oakland. it was awesome, the parkway is an old theater (with couches) about three blocks from my house. tonight they canceled all of their regular movies and opened their doors (for free) to obama supporters to watch him accept the nomination for president on the big screen.

i swear, it was the next best thing to actually being in denver. every seat was filled - they had to turn people away. we all watched as obama accepted. some of the audience had been clinton supporters. some had been noncommittal. but it was clear to me that obama was UNIFYING the liberals, independents, and people who are just SICK OF the bush administration. i loved it. i loved being in the presence of people who cheered for obama along with me. this is something i will truly miss about the bay area if i ever leave.

right now i have so much hope. i truly believe that WE CAN win this election. i have faith that my fellow americans are ready for REAL CHANGE after eight long years of life under the bush administration. i believe that come november we WILL make history and elect our first black president. i'd love to say that mcsame doesn't have a chance, but he does, and we ALL have to work to make sure obama is our next president.

i took a few photos tonight. they're all up on my flickr account if y'all want to see the rest of them.

obama/biden '08 FOR THE WIN!!!!

i am plastering the city of oakland with these! legally! ;)

how many people can say that they have helicopter footage of their apartment building and car?

i can!

ok, the standoff is over. i am leaving! YAY!

still trapped in my apartment.

photos from KGO.

my photos:



( more )

i will update as i know more.

i'm still trapped.

the police won't give us much information, but this is what i have so far:

some armed suspect refuses to leave a nearby building. there are cops everywhere with rifles pacing up and down the street. there are special incident units everywhere. according to the oakland police, it is not safe for people on my block to leave their homes. niiice.

i am just chilling with my cats waiting for this to end so i can get to work...

the reporters have arrived, but it is not on the news yet.

oh the fun of living oakland never ends.

right now i can't even leave my house. there is some standoff on my block (suspect with a rifle threatening people?), and they have closed my street and the blocks around it. there is no way to get to my car, get to the bus, or even to the BART stop. i'm stuck inside until this shit ends. ridiculous. i have shit to do at work today. people are truly selfish and stupid. i have no clue how this is going to end (or really, what is going on because there are no newscrews allowed, though kron4 knows about it), but i hope it ends safely. and quickly.

the fun never ends... at least it's not this time next week. because that's when i need to be leaving for the airport.

this happened about six blocks from my apartment.

and because of road closures, it took me over an hour to get home from work tonight (it's usually 15 minutes when i drive).

lovely. sometimes i think that oakland is getting better. stories like this do not reaffirm that.

Ranked Most Dangerous

1. Detroit, Michigan
2. St. Louis, Missouri
3. Flint, Michigan
4. Oakland, California
5. Camden, New Jersey
6. Birmingham, Alabama
7. North Charleston, South Carolina
8. Memphis, Tennessee
9. Richmond, California
10. Cleveland, Ohio

source

woah! that was a long one. my place shook for at least 15 seconds.

we (san francisco bay area) are having some serious earthquake weather. i think i have to remember that "earthquake weather" is just a myth. but still, i live *right on* the hayward fault...

i just took a big, fat vicodin to help me sleep. i'm not in much physical pain (at the moment), but the emotional pain is h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e at the moment. i miss my little tuxedo ball of fur so much that i feel like i'm ready to have a melt down.

anyway, here's some meme fun to attempt to temporarily keep my mind off everything.

from heymiddleground:

If you comment on this post, I will choose seven interests from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so that others can play along.

heymiddleground gave me:

atwli: it's just an abbreviation for all that we let in, the indigo girls album that was released in 2004. LJ wouldn't allow me to have something as long as all that we let in in my interests. i have all of the indigo girls studio albums listed as interests.

east asian studies: my major in college. i focused on japan (actually, i know VERY little about china and korea). i <3 my college major. it was a bit wacky (especially in the late 90s), and i got to take some amazing courses. i even got to go live in japan.

lonely planet: my favorite series of travel books. as a travel adviser, i often get asked which guide books i reccommend. i always say "lonely planet," because i find them to be the most informative and culturally sensitive. also, they give a nice range of places to stay (from ultra budget to higher class). one of my dream jobs is to be a writer/photographer/reporter for lonely planet.

pasta: my favorite food. i love all of the varieties and diversty. that one's simple.

polar bears: before i went to alaska in august, alligators and crocodiles were my favorite wild animals. being in alaska, and researching polar bears changed that. polar bears are amazing. not only are they the most dangerous (and cutest) bears, but they are also a great poster child for global warming, something i care about deeply.

the coup: my favorite hip hop/rap band. they're from my hometown (holla oakland!), and they're mega political. they're indie hip hop artists. and if you happened to be at an indigo girls show this past summer, you heard them. their song, "my favorite mutiny" was on the girls' 'stage setup' mix CD. check them out, yo!

waffle house: oh how do i profess my love for the small, yellow restaurant that litters the landscape in the south? open 24-7, i can eat their waffles (pecan), grilled cheese sandwiches, and raisin tost with apple butter anytime (ok, anytime i happen to be in a place with a waffle house). plus they have their own selections on their jukebox. i <3 the "waffle doo woop." ;)