August 2025
A QUICK FOLLOW-UP ON BUSHROD PARK!
I got a lot of responses from folks who were all interested in improving Bushrod Park. Here were some of the most interesting comments:
- “A pedestrian crossing right in front of the park, on the Shattuck side”
- “Would be great to remove those new locks on the doors between the west side of the park and the fields on the east side for easier movement.”
- “A cafe on shattuck and 60th st in the little stretch of stores. The pickleballers would buy so many drinks!”
Of everything, it people seem somewhat uncertain about how dogs should be in the park. Some people think they should have full reign, while others think they should at least have a separate area so that they don’t disturb the sports players or endanger children. For sure, it goes against the old rules of the park (see the scratched-out “No Dogs” signs on all the fences), but maybe it’s time for a new policy that works for everyone.
In any case, a lot of people want to make the park better! I’m going to host a little meetup on Tues 8/19 to discuss! Sign up here.
Supporting back-to-schoolers!
August means “back to school” for a lot of the families in the neighborhood! I don’t have kids (much less kids in school), but the general sentiment from the parents I know is “thank goodness”. For me, what it mostly means is that there will be a parade of kids marching down Alcatraz every weekday morning – a bit of entertainment before my morning run.
It’s pretty evident that the public school system is facing a lot of challenges, both here and around the country. Oakland Unified School District in particular ended the last school year with a couple different issues; a threatening budget deficit and lead in the water systems were at the top of the list (though both Sankofa and Peralta had negligble levels, so little to worry about here). After-school reading programs were nearly slashed until parents and community organizations stepped in to get that decision reversed. Teachers were on a strike for a day before reaching concessions.
With all that happening, it’s important that we figure out how to support the families and teachers heading back! Send me ideas if you have them and I’ll get back to everyone:
- If you know a teacher, they might still be crowdfunding for materials in their classroom!
- There’s a Board of Education meeting on August 13. Our representative is Rachel Latta – she is also the board director. Honestly, the OUSD website has a bunch of out of date info, so I would just email rachel.latta@ousd.org if you're interested in attending.
- Healthy Black Families is organizing the Village Cultural Academy” for middle school students to strengthen literacy and personal expression skills. Look it up if interested.
Also, if you are a student or have a student at home, know that there are free tickets to a Roots game up for grabs if you have perfect attendance for the first two weeks of school 👀
FORAGING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
“Feral Ecology” is a project by Daniel Goldberg (East Bay resident, not sure where) that’s all about using urban foraging as a way to connect to each other and nature. They were recently in Dover Park, collecting pluots off their neighbors’ trees and making wine with it. Very cool!
If you want to stay in the loop, they’ve got a WhatsApp group. There’s also an event on “Feral Winemaking” coming up on September 7 – you can learn more on their website, www.feralecology.com.