City Government

New West Oakland Skate Park Runs into Bumpy Ground

Published

12 years ago

April 23, 2014

A conflict over a skate park in West Oakland has become the latest skirmish over what some see as the wave of gentrification that is sweeping the Bay Area.

The builders say the skate park is a productive use for property that was an eyesore and going to waste.

But a number of community members view these new arrivals like the settlers who thought they discovered America.

At issue is the “Lower Bobs Skatepark,” recently built on 8^th and Pine streets in West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood.

The builder is Gauntlet Skateparks, a non-profit organization that consists of “skate park builders from Oakland, Portland, Atlanta and Pittsburg working with local communities to get skate parks built anywhere, everywhere,” according to the group’s website.

However, in this case Gauntlet did not work with the community or local officials before building the park and instead constructed it without permits and liability insurance to ensure the public’s safety.

Santiago Menendez, an organizer for Gauntlet, says the area was filled with garbage, and the group just wanted to do “something productive” for the community.

“We did build it. We’re not denying that, but we’d like to move forward and talk about what we’re going to do,” said Menendez.

Given the lack of effort to work with the city form the beginning, Councilmember Lynette McElhaney calls Gauntlet’s methodology “disheartening” and “disrespectful” to residents.

“Doing it the way they have, has been a drain on the city’s scarce resources,” she said. “It’s discouraging to investors who actually go through the process.”

McElhaney cited another nearby skate park, Town Park, as an example of a project that went through the process in the right way.

Built in West Oakland at the historic Defremery Park by Keith “K-Dub” Williams, Town Park has been in operation since 2008. While the project may have taken longer to get up and running, Williams followed the necessary steps, according to McElhaney.

Williams is now in the process of getting permits to rebuild the wooden skate park with concrete, which he says Oakland needs more of. As someone who is familiar with the culture, he says he understands the Do It Yourself (DIY) attitude of skateboarding and resourcefulness of skaters, but skate boarders should be caring enough to engage the community from the onset.

“Aesthetically it’s a beautiful site, but in terms of not engaging the community, [it] may have been a bit naïve,” said Williams. “I’m about skateboarding and skateboard culture, but I’m about community first.”

“There’s a need for this type of recreation,” he said. “[But] if I had did that in Piedmont, I’d be in jail.”

He said some skaters have told him they were not welcomed when visiting the new skate park because they did not help build it or because they did not bring beer.

Williams, however, is not worried about these glitches. Instead, he says he is committed to his primary focus, creating events for youth to engage in.

In the meantime, Lower Bobs Skatepark is closed until an agreement is reached between the group and city officials

“We didn’t build it with permits, but we want to go on from here out the right way,” said Menendez. “We don’t want to lose it.”

McElhaney says she supports the group going through the process. She hopes that if the park is not approved, the group will responsibly remove it just like they built it and not impose that burden on taxpayers.

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Related Topics:City of Oakland district 3 Kdub Lower Bobs Skatepark Lynette McElhaney Oakland skateboarding west oakland

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

4 days ago

December 25, 2025

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Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

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Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.