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2015 COUNTERPOINTS COLUMNS "We've
Let The Dogs Out!" Who
Do We Blame For Oakland's Garbage Service? A
Sermon On The Kaiser Cutting
Up The Kaiser Arena For Offices? Shot
For Sleeping? Did
The Mayor Actually Err? Following
Richmond's Lead, For A Change The
Marcus Foster Mailbox Removal, Belatedly Explained A
Street Mural "Overlooked" Two
Steps Forward, Three Steps Back—The Continuing Problems
At Marcus Foster Post Office The Overlooked Death Of Rayjon Simmons Some Black Lives Seem To Matter More Than Others, At Least To Some April 22, 2015 Cutbacks
At The Marcus Foster P.O. Branch Confirmed The
'Hood Tax, An Example An
Interrupted Dialogue Resumes The
Sudden Resignation Of AC Transit's General Manager Did
I Overlook The Mayor In My Anti-Graffiti Ordinance
Column? "This Happens Way Too Regularly" The Tagging Of The Oakland Main Library Begins A Discussion On The Fact That Oakland's Anti-Graffiti Law Has Failed March 18, 2015 Concerning
Political Hit Pieces
The East Bay Express' Recent Series Against Oakland City Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney Qualifies As Unfair Journalism, At The Least January 5, 2015 Current
CounterPoints Columns SEND ME AN EMAIL (to safero@earthlink.net) |
August 26, 2015 If you live in or visit Oakland neighborhoods like the Elmhurst District—what folks refer to as “Deep East Oakland”—you’re used to police helicopters hovering in the general airspace above you for periods of time. Mostly they appear during police chases, swinging around in wide circles, searching the ground below for suspects. It’s become such a common flatlands occurrence that—like triggered car alarms—you hardly notice them any more. I’m not certain exactly when they began, but his summer I’ve begun noticing that OPD’s helicopter corps have added a new “service” that has certainly gotten our attention. I don’t know the official name, but you can call them “Public Beware Notices From The Air.” Instead of simply silently circling, observing, and communicating to officers involved in the chase, where, now, under certain circumstances, the helicopter police have begun blaring out warning announcements to the public below through some sort of loudspeaker or bullhorn system. As far as I can guess, the warning/announcements are repeated over and over, and go something like: “Stay in your house!” “We’ve set police dogs loose!” “Stand still if you see them! Do not run from the dogs or they will bite you!” Anyway, there are certainly more disturbing things that could be shouted at you from out of the sky on a summer afternoon, but I can’t think of many more disconcerting than “Watch out! We’ve let the dogs out!”, since there is an implicit message that regular residents, not just the suspects, are in danger of a dog attack. [To Complete Column]
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