Bay Area
City Council Considers Parking Meters at Lake Merritt for ‘Safety,’ Black Residents Cry Foul
Lake Merritt has long been a site of contention between nearby residents and lake visitors. The lake is a public park, but nearby residents have often sought to curtail activity at the lake that they have found disruptive. During the pandemic, increasing numbers of people came to the lake to socialize. Street vendors also set up shop in larger numbers along Lakeshore Avenue, and parties and events, along with a perceived increase in crime and littering, caused nearby residents to complain about the impact on their quality of life, according to Oaklandside.
By Brandon Patterson
Oakland City Council will consider a proposal this month to install parking meters along several streets near Lake Merritt, a proposal spurred by years of complaints from Lake residents about crowds, noise and littering near the Lake, according to Oaklandside, but that some Black Oaklanders have called out as intended to keep Black people away.
The City Council will consider the proposal later this month after twice postponing a vote, which was originally slated for April. The proposal would install parking meters on most streets on the direct edge of the lake, setting violators up for enforcement via ticketing and towing. Currently, parking is free for up to 3 hours at a time around the lake. The city’s Department of Transportation recommended the changes, identifying the meters as a way to reduce traffic around the lake and to increase funding for maintenance of the city’s parks. According to the city, the meters would generate about $1.5 million in revenue in the first year and about $1.7 million annually thereafter.
But some Black residents see the proposal as a tactic to keep Black people away from the lake. “You are working hard to make sure Black people do not go to that lake,” Oakland resident Assata Olugbala said at a Public Works Committee hearing in March. Black Oakland residents disproportionately live in West and East Oakland—much further from the lake than many of the city’s white residents—and so are more likely to have to drive to get to the lake and would be disproportionately impacted by the parking changes. Another resident said she worried about the impact the meters would have on Black vendors.
Lake Merritt has long been a site of contention between nearby residents and lake visitors. The lake is a public park, but nearby residents have often sought to curtail activity at the lake that they have found disruptive. During the pandemic, increasing numbers of people came to the lake to socialize. Street vendors also set up shop in larger numbers along Lakeshore Avenue, and parties and events, along with a perceived increase in crime and littering, caused nearby residents to complain about the impact on their quality of life, according to Oaklandside.
But in May, the Oakland Department of Transportation released a survey of about 2,500 Lake Merritt visitors that showed nearly 80% did not support the proposal. Also in May, the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommended amendments to the proposal to address residents’ concerns, including making the proposal a one-year pilot program and collecting data on whether the meters actually reduce congestion and lower crime, and what impact they have on Black and Brown attendance at the lake.
City Councilmember Carroll Fife, who represents the west side of Lake Merritt, told Oaklandside she was uncomfortable with the proposal last month. “I would never be comfortable if 70% of a population is moving in opposition to something that the council is proposing,” she told the news outlet.
Activism
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.
Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).
Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.
According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.
The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”
Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.
EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”
Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.
An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”
The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.
The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”
The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”
Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.
Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.
Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of August 19 – 25, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 18 – 25, 2026
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