Oakland Seeks Help From CHP After Last Weekend's Massive Sideshow
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – Oakland city leaders are seeking help from the state after a sideshow involving hundreds of cars last weekend got out of control.
"We cannot tolerate this type of lawlessness coming to Oakland," Mayor Libby Schaaf told KPIX 5.
Saturday night's wild sideshow has the mayor asking Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Highway Patrol to send in more officers.
"They have actually been giving us a squad every weekend. But we saw last weekend that wasn't enough," Schaaf said.
Some sideshow participants reportedly came from as far away as Fresno and Los Angeles, turning the streets of Oakland into absolute mayhem. Along with drivers spinning donuts, participants pelted officers with bottles. Gunfire was heard and a police car was destroyed. No arrests were made.
"There were 50 plus officers," said Oakland Police Deputy Chief Paul Figueroa. "Certainly it wasn't enough, you had over 700 cars."
The mayor said, "We need more help. We need to take a regional approach."
Sideshows have been an on-again, off-again problem of Oakland for more than 20 years, but never like this.
"Folks have no respect for our city," said Oakland City Councilmember Larry Reid.
The councilmember added that part of the blame was politics. "Back then it was that you were going to racially profiling young African Americans and Latinos," said Reid, who is African-American.
Figueroa said there are several ways to stop future sideshows.
"We are going to be looking at everything from using more cameras to video those who are there," Figueroa said. "We can tow their cars and impound them for 30 days, even after they leave."
