East Oakland: Always Dissed & Dismissed

Tammerlin Drummond made some compelling points in the Tribune yesterday about how the city fails to reach out to East Oakland. While areas like the Dimond and Laurel are experiencing mini-renaissances, Deep East Oakland (DEO) doesn't even have a decent grocery store. No, the MacArthur corridor from Eastmont to San Leandro isn't the best neighborhood, but it's part of our city. It is also happens to be a part of our city that carries an inordinate amount of Oakland's poor reputation. And yet, many die-hard Oaklanders just read about its crime in the newspaper and shit on it from afar.

East Oakland isn't all bad, contrary to popular belief, but it is struggling... a lot. What Drummond notes is that a large part of that burden falls on the people's representation, namely Larry Reid and Desley Brooks in this case. How is it even plausible that Gazzali's (which sucks) is the only supermarket in all of deep East Oakland? How can the organic, vegetarian, almond-milk crowd peddle to their local farmers market and not care that an entire region of their city can't even get to a Luckys or a Safeway?

Yes the the area has an image problem. Yes that image is based on certain harsh realities. But until Deep East Oakland improves, Oakland (as a whole) will remain the low-lying slum of the Bay Area in the national consciousness. I understand that there isn't the physical, social or cultural captial that the burgeoning Temescal-type districts have, but where are DEO's redevelopment dollars going? Where is Desley Brooks' overly-intelligent do-nothing ass? When is Larry Reid ever going to do anything of note?

The Deep East may lack the pull to make too many waves, but the rest of us need to get off our IMBYism and help the greater good, because as Lauryn Hill once said, "When the rain falls, it don't fall on one man's house."

Correction: Tivon reminded me about the Pack-n-Save on Hegenberger and the FoodMaxx at Durant Square, but my point still stands. At issue is accessibility for low-income residents, particularly to healthy produce. Too many folks are eating out of liquor stores. Side note: In NY corner bodegas legally can't sell anything more than beer (alcohol wise). But in The Town you can get Remy at every corner? That's what I call a set-up.