Oakland removes resident-made solution to stop sideshows

OAKLAND, Calif. ( KRON ) — An Oakland neighborhood remains frustrated after the city removed their handmade solution to stop the constant sideshows around their homes.

Sideshows are nearly a daily occurrence for Oakland residents living in the San Antonio neighborhood along East 21st Street, but a group of neighbors are fighting back.

“This is the worst I have seen it in my 23 years of living here… It’s way more worse and dangerous,” Randy Duarte, a San Antonio resident, told KRON4.

Residents created their own tire barriers to put a stop to the reckless driving and added three roundabouts in nearby intersections. “The speed bumps were bolted into the ground to make it hard to move,” Duarte said.

That wasn’t until the city removed every barrier by Wednesday morning.

“It actually made everyone come to a stop. They think it’s a problem,” Duarte said.

When asked for a statement, the city told KRON4 it was made aware Tuesday of “unauthorized hazards” installed on the street in the neighborhood.

“We at the city empathize with our community, and we all want safer streets, but increasing the risk to the public by installing hazards is not the solution. The city will promptly remove these unauthorized, dangerous installations,” the City of Oakland said in a statement to KRON4.

“What we heard when we did inquiries about getting an actual roundabout, we were told that somebody has to die first before they’ll do anything about that… And, we’re just not waiting for that,” Heather Washington, another Oakland resident in the neighborhood, said.

“The next step is to continue with the pressure and effort on the city,” Washington said.

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