"International? Naw, East 14th!" (c) EA-Ski

When the name of East 14th St was changed to International Blvd a lot of us were pissed and confused. East 14th is an international thoroughfare, passing through Asian, Latino and African-American neighborhoods on its way to San Leandro (where it also passes through white neighborhoods), BUT where lies the benefit of renaming it? There is nothing wrong with being international, but we already know that East 14th is international and diverse. That's like naming your kid Sam Percival Johnson at birth, and then upon realizing he can read at an early age, renaming him Prodigiously Literate Johnson. We're glad your kid likes reading, but we already know that from being around you. Now we just find him and you annoying because he's been renamed for a changeable trait. (For a chuckle, imagine white parents in a gentrified Fruitvale 20 years from now trying to explain to their kids what international means and what it has to do with their street)

What was wrong with being that grimy but subtly diverse street with tasty taco trucks? Why do we have to change the street signs and act like we put the World Fair on one glorious passport of an avenue?

The corner of East 14th St. and 38th Avenue in East Oakland

Typically name changes occur to make a place sound nicer than it is, i.e. Felix Mitchell's 69 Village being renamed the San Antonio Villas (btw, the guard booth kinda kills the serene sounding makeover guys). Did East 14th have an image problem I wasn't aware of? Granted, some Oakland residents (and bloggers) don't venture past the lake or below 580, and subsequently assume the entirety of East Oakland is a cesspool of social ills. But their ignorance and some crime aside, isn't East 14th like the most enjoyable street in the East?

Furthermore, renaming streets and neighborhoods reminds me of the current debate surrounding HBO's new drama Gentlemen of Leisure. Some, including the mayor and some city counsel members, are opposed to granting a film permit because they think a show that focuses on a pimp in Oakland will perpetuate a negative image of our city. It doesn't matter to them that Oakland has had a problem with pimping for ages, they just don't want to get put on blast for not addressing it. They think they can deny HBO the film permit in the interest of Oakland's "image," and yet continue to ignore the pimping that prompted the producers to set the show in Oakland in the first place.
Goldie (2nd from left), the main character from another Oakland pimp movie, The Mack (1973). This movie was filmed in Oakland and based on Oakland pimp Frank Ward. Clearly, the city has done little to curb pimping in The Town over the years.

This same tactic is what prompts streets and neighborhoods to get renamed. It's city officials and real estate moguls trying to sell a new pristine image rather than addressing the enduring problems that led to the old image. If East 14th, the 69 Village or Oakland have issues then we should address those issues. We need to stop tripping off image if we're not gonna trip off reality. International Blvd has just as many prostitutes and drug dealers as East 14th did. BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SAME STREET! Eradicate the problems, don't insult our intelligence and try to paint rose collored glasses onto our faces.

I know this particular name change happened years ago and that my criticisms will surely fall on deaf ears, but there is a more sentimental side to this issue too. At the risk of sounding like a wistful old man clinging to the past, I feel that places hold memories that politicians have no right to change. For instance, my father attended Oakland City College with Huey Newton and Bobby Seal on Grove St back in the day. My dad often recounts those days quite fondly, but remains frustrated that Grove St was changed to Martin Luther King Jr Way. His frustration is meant in no way that disrespects the good Doctor, it's just that all those memorable times happened on Grove St. not MLK. It's also a little annoying that the street that Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale organized the Black Panthers on was named for a pacifist. Seems to be a bit of a back handed tribute to MLK and a diss to the Panthers if you ask me.

I'm probably just rambling now, but I wanted to explain why EA-Ski and I will continue to refer to International Blvd as East 14th St. Why my Dad will continue to call Martin Luther King Jr Way by Grove St. And why some real OG Oaklanders may still dismiss MacArthur Blvd as war time propaganda and call it Hopkins St instead.

And I almost forgot! The whole reason that I stumbled upon this topic is because the image at the top of this post is featured on a new Oaklandish t-shirt (Minus the strikeout and East 14th scribble- props to Erica for that!). I love Oaklandish and their dedication to The Town, but I was surprised that they would produce a t-shirt that validates the renaming of East 14th given their fascination with Oakland history.