Free Republic

Lake Merritt is one of Oakland’s loveliest spots, especially during the evening golden hour when the “Necklace of Lights”comes to life around the lake. But over the last few weeks, the 126 ornate lampposts that anchor the lake’s signature circle of lights have been the target of vandalism. The city believes thieves are toppling and stealing the almost century-old lampposts and ripping out the wires from the boxes at the bases. It’s a local chapter of a story happening around the country as valuable metals inside the lampposts are harvested for later resale. Jean Walsh, a spokeswoman for the Oakland...

OAKLAND, Calif. - The victim whose remains were discovered inside a suitcase floating in Oakland's Lake Merritt has been identified. The body found last month was 23-year-old Gabriel Gomez Raymundo, the Oakland Police Department announced Wednesday. Raymundo's body was found inside a dark-colored suitcase located on the edge of Lake Merritt near Lakeshore and Hanover Avenues on Oct. 31. Authorities have not revealed how long the suitcase had been in the water, but they have classified the case as a homicide. Oakland police investigators have limited details about the victim and are appealing to the community to share information such...

... Multiple women were seen twerking on the top of an ambulance in Lake Merritt in Oakland, California on Saturday night, as paramedics attempted to make their way through to the scene of a shooting in which one person was killed and at least seven others were wounded. The ambulance was stopped in its tracks by the crowd which was said to be around 1,000-strong as people gathered to celebrate Juneteenth after it was declared a federal holiday. As the ambulance arrived at the scene, the revelers continued to party, with no apparent regard for the seriousness of the situation...

A shooting near a Juneteenth celebration in Northern California on Saturday evening left at least one person dead and several others wounded, police said. Shots rang out after around 1,000 people had gathered at Lake Merritt in Oakland for the holiday commemorating the historical end of slavery. Bullets struck six victims between ages 16 and 27, Oakland Police said in a statement. A 22-year-old victim died of his wounds at a hospital, the department confirmed. Two armed men seen running from the scene were arrested, the department said. Homicide investigators were determining if the men were the shooters. "Tonight a...

Somehow someone dubbed him “Jogger Joe.” He shows us how NOT to clean up a homeless camp. Some robberies seem to count more than others. A man faces a second-degree robbery charge—but not for first stealing a homeless person’s belongings. Nobody doubts he did that. His alleged crime is stealing a bystander’s phone. The bystander recorded him stealing (taking and discarding) the homeless person’s belongings. The suspect confessed to the phone robbery, according to the Oakland police. However, he wasn’t charged for robbing a homeless person. This is because a homeless person’s possessions are considered debris, rather than stolen property....

By 11:30 a.m. Sunday, a meaty, righteous aroma wafted up from hundreds of grills set up around the northeastern shore of Lake Merritt. Oakland barbecue stalwart Everett & Jones was flipping yard-long racks of ribs to give away. Vendors of skateboard decks airbrushed with the greats of African American history set up next to political organizers calling out for registered voters. BBQ’n While Black was barely getting started.

Downtown Oakland has no shortage of wildlife. Now it even has some of the nonhuman variety. A colony of giant, squawking, black-crowned night herons has taken up residence in the gritty urban core of Oakland, apparently thriving amid the tattoo parlors and Afghan restaurants, Occupiers and bus exhaust. "Oh my God, I saw one walking right down 14th Street. I'm like, 'What is that?' " said Jalima Morales, 26, who saw a few more of the striking blue birds as she was walking down Jackson Street recently. "Now I see them all the time. They're so loud. It sounds like...

They weren't seeking sunken treasure, but that's what some sixth-graders from St. Paul's Episcopal School found Thursday submerged in a few feet of water in Oakland's Lake Merritt. A student was scooping up trash with a long net from the shore near Grand and Harrison streets when she spotted two bags about the size of reusable grocery totes sitting in about 2 feet of water, said Richard Bailey, executive director of the Lake Merritt Institute. The bags were heavy and she couldn't scoop them up, Bailey said, so he waded out in hip boots and pulled them to shore. The...

OAKLAND (KRON) -- Oakland police hope a short piece of surveillance video will be enough to identify the man wanted for the rape of a woman in the Lake Merritt area on February 7th. Police released the tape which shows a man walking down the street while tugging at his pants. Investigators say the same man may be responsible for the sexual assault on a woman in the 800 block of Jackson Street. The woman says she was returning to her apartment at about 10:00 p.m. February 7th when the man confronted her, beat her, and raped her. He's described...