East Oakland, Oakland, California

East Oakland is the southeastern portion of Oakland, California, and takes up the largest portion of the city's land area.

Geography

East Oakland stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. It generally has a diagonal layout. East Oakland has numbered avenues (1st to 109th) that run northeast to southwest, and numbered streets (East 7th to East 33rd) that run northwest to southeast. Interstates 580 and 880 also run northwest to southeast. Main northwest-southeast thoroughfares include East 14th Street (renamed International Blvd. in 1996 (within the city of Oakland only)), MacArthur Blvd., Foothill Blvd., and Bancroft Ave. Main northeast-southwest thoroughfares include Fruitvale Ave., 35th Ave., High St., Seminary Ave., 73rd Ave. (which becomes the Hegenberger Expressway south of East 14th St. to Oakland International Airport), and 98th Ave. East Oakland is home to Mills College, McAfee Coliseum, the Oracle Arena, Knowland Park Zoo, and Lake Chabot Golf Course.

Residents generally identify themselves as being from the respective numbered avenue in their proximity when claiming turf. Neighborhoods in the Deep East Side (closest to the San Leandro border and the airport) have traditionally been known as some of the most notorious streets in all of California, and this was after much of the area experienced a drastic socioeconomic decline after the 1970's; prior to this, most of East Oakland was middle-class and almost suburban in nature. Many middle-class families relocated to the suburbs, leaving the most poor citizens behind (in the Deep East Side these were almost exclusively African American); also, many long-time industrial jobs in the area dried up as the economy changed and factories along the Southern Pacific railroad tracks shut down, most notably regional facilities for Granny Goose, a regional snack foods brand, and Gerber.

Some areas of East Oakland (outside of Deep East Side) are gentrifying as higher-income families, headed by young professionals, are rediscovering the area and advocating neighborhood improvements. The general high cost of living in the entire Bay Area is creating the effect of making East Oakland increasingly unaffordable for lower-income families.

Numerous East Bay rappers and singers, such as Keak da Sneak, Lil Caguamito, Dru Down, Too $hort, Digital Underground, MC Hammer, The Luniz, and Keyshia Cole have originated from Deep East Side.

Neighborhoods

• Brookfield Village
• Dimond District
• Crestmont
• Eastmont
• Elmhurst
• Fruitvale
• Glenview
• Grass Valley
• Havenscourt
• JingleTown
• Laurel
• Lincoln Heights
• Maxwell Park
• Melrose
• Millsmont
• Oak Knoll
• Oakmore
• Picardy Drive, Oakland, California / Normandy Gardens
• Redwood Heights
• Ridgemont
• San Antonio District
  • Eastlake
• Seminary
• Sequoyah Heights
• Sheffield Village
• Sobrante Park
• Woodminster

History

The area, originally known as Brooklyn until it was annexed by the city in 1909, was once suburban and predominantly white until World War II, when it became the backbone of Oakland's African American community due to an influx of workers from the southeastern U.S. and the exodus of more prosperous whites to suburbs south and east of the city. In the 1950s and 1960s, many areas of East Oakland remained predominantly white. In recent decades, the African American population has been steadily declining (as more middle-class African Americans are seeking opportunities in the nearby suburbs and even outside of the Bay Area altogether) and is being replaced by a thriving Latino and Asian (primarily Cambodian, Lao, and Chinese) population. Fruitvale has become the backbone of Oakland's Latino community and has a thriving shopping district. A diverse Asian population, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, and other southeast Asian ethnic groups generally inhabit the area of East Oakland closest to downtown, from New Chinatown east to San Antonio.

The Brookfield district is located from 98th-85th Avenues. Residential streets are named for letters of the alphabet (A st...B st ...C st, etc.) This is a part of the Deep East area which has some of the highest rates of criminal and drug activity in the city.

Image

Many areas of East Oakland, however, have been plagued by high crime in the postwar period and still remain a haven for prostitution and drug activity. Companies and corporations continue to bypass Oakland because of its image problem. East Oakland continues to have high unemployment and dropout rates, primarily because of its drug problem, and its most poverty-stricken neighborhoods continue on a cycle of despair and apathy. The prostitution scene in the city was made popular in the 1970s with movies like "The Mack", and in the early 80's was one of the first areas in the United States where crack cocaine became a serious epidemic. During that time much of the drug trade was run by the notorious Felix Mitchell and the Flowers family. Unlike South Los Angeles, there are no major affiliations with Bloods or Crips in Oakland. Drug turf determines its street politics. Then-East 14th Street was plagued with a prostitution and drug problem for years. Due to synonymous effect it had on the street's name (as it was one of the deadliest arteries, mostly from the San Leandro city limits to at least High Street), city council changed the name of East 14th Street to International Blvd. in 1996. Even after the change, prostitution continued for years until the CHP stepped in to patrol the stretch (also known as California State Route 185 to 42nd Street) until crimes went down.

Major events since year 2000:

• 2000

Jul. 9 Woman dragged by car 20 blocks at International Boulevard

• 2001

Jan. 12 An undercover police officer killed by fellow police

• 2001

Oct. 24 2 young women and a man were found shot to death

• 2002

Jul. 15 A former meat department worker Jorge Baroza, 30, shot and killed a supervisor at Safeway before killing himself

• 2003

Sep. 17 Two 3-story apartment buildings that were under construction were completely gutted and 3 other suffered damage in a 6-alarm fire

• 2005

Aug. 24 Wal-Mart opening near the Oakland Airport brings crowds. It is the largest retailer to open in Oakland in years

• 2006

Aug. 2 Police officer fatally shoots a 17-year-old boy, investigated in connection with multiple shootings. The boy fired multiple shots from a handgun at the officers

Culture

East Oakland, together with West Oakland and North Oakland, remains the heart and soul of Greater Northern California's African American community and its hip-hop community. The prostitution and drug culture inspired a new sub-genre of hip hop by the late 1980's. Rappers like Too $hort incorporated this culture into the music, in sharp contrast to much of the East Coast hip hop of the day. The result was music that had more reality-based lyrics. Too $hort was also one of the first rap artists to promote and sell records independently, and is one of the pioneers responsible for the birth of Northern California's independent hip hop scene, inspiring many to pursue success in the music industry without the assistance of a major record company. The sound of the music was different from East Coast hip hop, which is known for its technique of sampling and looping to create a song. Instead, Funk and Blues were infused with synthesizers and drum machines, giving birth to the Bay Area hip hop sound known as Mobb music. Today, mainstream hip-hop continues to lyrically and musically incorporate much of what was pioneered in East Oakland. Much of East Oakland's street slang has also become mainstream; phrases like "hella" (hell of), and "fa sheezy" (for sure) have their origins in Oakland. Another key term is "hyphy", meaning crazy and out of control, often referring to a style of dancing called "going dumb". Known as "The Town" throughout Northern California, it is now nationally famous for its sydeshows, in which cars do various stunts in intersections at night. Fights, as well as car crashes and reckless driving, have claimed many victims at sideshows in Oakland in the recent past.