1st Annual NYE progressive dinner

Hi Lake Neighbors! Amazing night last night -- Betsy and Nico engineered a really FUN night for us. Here are some photos if anyone wants them. Patrick from 17y came to the event after being invited that same day -- we just finally made the connection with that group and he took these.

Happy New Year & Happy New Decade!

Let's all give so much so our neighborhood grows more and more into a great place to be and to live. SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT MEETING THIS SUNDAY January 3rd! (5pm Potluck @ 1704 3rd Ave right across from Lucky's.)

Much Love & Friendship!
Sasha

MTG: 12-22-09

Hi Lake Neighbors!

The meeting was interesting – with some of the new mix we got pulled into a few different unexpected tracks, but most felt it was productive. Thank you to PSO Officer Scott Hewitt, Lieutenant Ersie Joyner, City Councilmember Pat Kernighan, City Organizer Hoang Bahn for coming on a Saturday morning to our meeting. Come anytime to any of our meetings, you are always welcome. We did walk away Saturday with some additional strategies to add to our growing pile. A concise list follows under the “immediate safety issue” category below.

The simultaneous three pronged approach is still our deal: 1) IMMEDIATE SAFETY ISSUE, 2) STRONG ONGOING POSITIVE EVENTS, 3) HEALING THE CAUSE INSTEAD OF TREATING THE SYMPTOM BY CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE BEING CAUGHT IF POSSIBLE.



This particular newer group mugging people here unfortunately has a effective strategy, they make hits all at once all over w/a driver, they sometimes fan out on a street and always wear black hoodies (remember not all black hoodies mean a threat…we all probably have one, but our assessment skills are good). They target anyone – mostly elderly and even an entire family (searched the kids, too)…we go into the safety issue first…



1) IMMEDIATE SAFETY ISSUE:

* Use Whistle instead of yelling for help because it is more recognizable (OPD knows this)

* Tell all neighbors when you hear a whistle it means distress/need of help

* Start Night hikes with groups of 4 or more (healthy to walk and is meant to be fun and vigilant)

* Get walkie-talkies on your block (we use ch. 9)

* Meet your Neighbors on your block minimum (beyond is great)

* Eye contact and greet everyone around

* Offer bathroom stops for people working here to help us – Guardian Angels are around

* Approach, introduce and meet the police that are in our neighborhoods.

* Look at all cars around you when you are out – make sure they are empty

* Multiple males in black hoodies are the recent group – so be awake and aware.

* Walkie talkie noise is somewhat of a deterrent when you are out

* Sometimes saying what is up/hi is going to make you not selected for a crime…walking with fear or

distracted is more likely to attract a problem

* When calling dispatch say you’re calling about the series of robberies (it is prioritized)

* Call someone, leave line open & tell your location, if you are out & being approached (they can call,

and a robbery in process is prioritized)

* If robbed, cooperate fully – your stuff is not worth the risk.

* If robbed, leave your cards and cell active long enough for OPD to track them

* If robbed, take as much in visually as you can to recall later to OPD

* Get cell #’s of your own block neighbors (put in ph as “NBR Lateef” etc.)

* “Phone tree” w/ your block to call incidents in – higher priority with more calls in

* Cover tagging right away every time

* If something is happening & dispatch may be slow or no, call 3 neighbors and decide what

to do together (min of 3)

* When calling OPD emergency dispatch (510 777-3211) if you give your name, this up’s priority

* Email Captain Orozco & Ofcr Hewitt immediately on incidences after calling it in (they

have blackberries & it goes right away) ROrozco@oaklandnet.com, shewitt@oaklandnet.com

* CALL CALL CALL in everything – it may add to something later, it will be noted one way or other

response at times is immediate, and at times not at all – but do it anyway.

* Use luggage tag on your keys for id/bank card and don’t carry purse/bag when possible

* We will invite lead for city ofc in charge of streetlights to correct our situation of dim/no lighting

* We asked to be made a “project” by patrols so they can work continuously on our issue





OTHER News/Updates given at meeting: In the past 4 weeks OPD increased “robbery suppression” work and they have 3 wolf pack members in jail now, 19 people were arrested in the last few weeks (11 for robbery, 8 for weapons).



Hoang Bahn has a modified Neighborhood Watch in the works – we may use that if it certifies us.



Sean is looking into organizing great design/art on the always tagged PG&E boxes (Pat Kernighan is looking into that for him).



We want to find some Lake Neighbors to go to other neighborhood meetings to connect us all up more. Maybe Hoang can help make this easier.



There are currently no set hours at OPD’s auxillary office at Lucky’s (people were wondering).



WHAT WE WANT FROM THE OPD:

1) Better consistency of fast response for dangerous incidents that are called in

(ie: burglaries in process, suspects in this recent wave seen in action, etc.).

2) Follow up and responsiveness to our burglaries/robberies when we call to find out.

3) OPD increase use of Lucky’s Auxillary office (we can help you have internet to helpt this)

4) Please ask your officers to meet us. Reach out and make the effort.

5) Please inform us about the latest arrests and changes in our area.

Questions: Is OPD checking ATM camera’s for the stolen ATM cards that are being used after muggings? What do you advise when we see a spread out group of males in black hoodies walking the entire width/span of the street/sidewalk on a street? Can we have the regular beat officers (not just the PSO’s) come out of their cars so we can see them – we see them, but in motion in vehicles.



3) STRONG POSITIVE EVENTS…

We have many going. We have a continuous flow of great art exhibits and gigs and goings on in many different forms. We have the outdoor movies. We tried a recent new thing “happy hour” at one persons front steps so we meet people walking by, also and that was a big hit. People have hosted parties at their homes (BBQ’s, pie party, a word fast party, someone put together a guerilla cake fight that actually got rained out – but the ideas are boundless – be creative or be basic – anything is great). We have many ideas to grow and we need to have many people take this on and spread the active part.



2) HEALING THE CAUSE:

We have a varied range of great and talented and good hearted people who are long standing members of this group who a great deal of experience working with youth and adults who have gotten into some really dangerous places and we want to work hard to meet them and get to know them and they get to know us. Lately we have had several new people attending that are expressing great interested in that approach. We must do that, we all agree – that is one of the prongs in our 3 pronged approach. We are pursuing this by approaching 2 programs in particular and also the DA’s office. We can seek being a part of restitution for people (youth and adults) arrested for crimes in this area – we want to have a sit down with people 1 at a time…the DA’s office is one place to seek this out. Suzanne B is going to contact one of the agencies, I will contact the other 2. Anyone who wants to spearhead this particular direction, please step up!

LMBA Annual Holiday Party

You Are Cordially Invited To
“Lake Merritt”
Business Association’s
Please join us with Oakland City Officials,

OPD Officers, merchants, neighbors for food, drinks, prizes, music at our

Annual Holiday Event

Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Place: Woody’s Café, 1841 Park Blvd.

To RSVP, please contact LMBA President, Steve Ma
Cell Phone: 510-455-6374 or Email: steviewoodys@sbcglobal.net

The LMBA organizes merchants, business & professional people and other interested members of the nearby community to advance the economic welfare of businesses within & nearby the Lake Merritt Parkway District, to improve the environmental conditions within it and to serve the interests of its membership.

OPD Communications

Captain Orozco,

Thank you for copying me on your response to Richard Berman's letter and Sean Henry's break-in and for your
fast response to this.

I know the crime is down statistically, but living here it just does not feel like it. We want to do what we
can on our end to work in concert with everyone to bring the rates down even lower because honestly
before this recent spike we had it was still a regular burglary we heard of in a home of a neighbor and tagging
constantly and car break ins and then all the drunken or lewd behaviors we see all the time -- almost daily
on our porches, etc.

We SO MUCH appreciate the OPD -- they are very nice to us and they really do care
about our needs. Out of our own family's interactions with the OPD only one was negative (an officer that came
by earlier in the year when our house was burglarized -- the responding officers were great, but when we called
to follow up the officer that came by was not interested at all in the evidence we had -- phone records
of a phone stolen from our house that time -- and my husband was basically told in so many words that
"well, what do you expect, you live in Oakland" -- which was really shocking to us. We had a more success
finding out some of what happened from people on the street who looked into it.

Dispatch is really mixed -- some of the people answering are very great and helpful and are answered by
people who really show that they care about the call/need -- and at the same time our calls are often
are met with rudeness. With our break in when I asked the emergency dispatch to please hurry because my
husband went into the house she snapped at me and lectured that "there is no HURRY" -- like I was
not allowed to say that -- I explained that my husband ran into the house and I did not know if anyone was still
in there which seemed to get her to be no longer rude with me -- I was genuinely afraid for my
husband's safety and there was very little sensitivity to this. We get response times that vary so greatly we never
know what will happen. Sometimes very fast, sometimes a few hours, sometimes none at all.

Please focus on this aspect with us, because telling us the stats are lower just makes us feel helpless --
the improvement is vital, but it still feels very unsafe at the current improved rate. We are not ever trying to be "trouble"
or a negative voice -- we are all good, hard working people who are very community minded and we do
appreciate the hard work that is very real that the OPD does. We care about their safety, also.

We would really appreciate close involvement in getting our neighborhood to the level of safety that we all
need and I am sure you would personally want in your own neighborhood -- I don't know if you live, here,
but if you do, then you understand.

We welcome you and the OPD officers to all our meetings. Our next one is Sunday January 3rd at 5pm.

Sasha Esposito (a Lake Neighbor)





On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 10:07 AM, Orozco, Ricardo wrote:

Mr. Henry & Berman:



I received an e-mail from Chief Batts regarding a recent burglary that occurred at Mr. Henry’s residence. I am looking in to the matter and researching why it took us so long to respond.



I am the Area Commander for Area 2, which is Central Oakland from Lake Merritt to High Street. As the Captain responsible for the Area, I can assure you that I manage my resources equitably and with the highest regard for the entire area. Based on our work so far this year I am pleased to report that Robberies are down 26%, Shooting are down 42% and Residential Burglaries are down 4%.



My staff and I will continue to provide the best/quality service you demand. I will reply once I have the information regarding the call and if you have any questions please feel free to call me.



Sincerely,



Ricardo E. Orozco

Captain of Police

Oakland Police Department

Area 2 - Bureau of Field Operations

(510) 238-3351 - office

MTG: 12-09-09: Guardian Angels Guest Speaker

Hi Lake Neighbors!

First…mark down OUR NEXT MEETING ON A SUNDAY (we are going to rotate Tuesdays and Sundays so more people can make it more often)…January 3rd at Hector and Sasha’s house (1704 3rd Ave., right on the corner of 3rd Ave & E. 17th Street). 5pm…Potluck! Please let me know if you want your home to be next to host a meeting (a few of you have already – thank you)!

We had a great meeting last night with our guest Guardian Angel Oakland Chapter Leader (and also Coordinator for Northern CA) Christina Fernandez. Thank you for the strong turnout.

Christina talked with us about the Angels and also about general safety – and she let us know that now they are going back on patrol (less events that are in need of security this time of year) that since we have called and have the need that they are going to patrol our neighborhood!

The Guardian Angels keep a varied route and so you will see them all over – make sure to offer them your support and hospitality if needed. Say hi – see if they have any needs (ie: water, restroom, coffee, an apple…). They carry no weapons, but they do have bullet proof vests and a lot of training. You can tell it is them by their uniform of black cargo pants, boots, white shirt with Guardian Angels on it, red jacket and beret. They work after hours generally (because they are all volunteer – all have a varied range of “day jobs”) and are always in a group of minimum 4 angels. They don’t use their given names and have working nicknames. Christina said that they have an excellent relationship with the OPD and will work to de-escalate situations.

One big point made as a group is that we would RATHER treat the cause of all this crime stuff in a strong positive way – and we will keep doing that better and better – but that we must also meet it at a “symptom treating” level very strong as well.

Safety measures we are taking on as a neighborhood and we ask that everyone work to get everyone else around us on the same page…

1) Know your neighbors & their friends/family– go meet them, invite them to meetings or have dinner or a BBQ, bring them something…

2) Say hi to everyone in a confident and very present way – you are paying attention to who is in your neighborhood and you are still being friendly and aware at the same time. It is a message either way.

3) Have a whistle on your keychain (I have some to give out at our next meeting)

4) Blow a whistle instead of yelling if you can if help is needed (strong extended blasts)

5) If you have no whistle, yell to call 911 – it’s is more effective then a general scream an it tells what you need someone to do

6) Get sensitized to responding to a whistle if one is heard – that is our signal as a group, or community that you are needed.

7) Walkie talkies are not only heck of convenient – they are a deterrent and make you less of a desirable target because of the noise they make – it sounds like an undercover cop or a neighborhood patrol

8) Don’t carry a purse or bag whenever possible – Christina suggested carrying a luggage tag on your keychain (she does) for your id or any small atm card you need for the moment, etc.

9) Call Call Call for all weird stuff you see – the OPD’s emergency # is 510 777-3211 (put that on your cell phone so you can call fast because 911 won’t work on a cell).

10) Don’t walk around on the cell phone – it impairs your hearing behind you so you can be snuck up on from behind and it usually means you are distracted from your environment and are a better “target”

11) Paint over your tags that happen on your homes – in case it is gang related – which it is not a lot of the time, but to keep things as clear as possible, don’t let your home (or car!) be a place for gang territory markings.

12) Introduce yourself and get to know any Oakland Police assigned here. They are people that we need to know and who need to get a sense of us, also.

13) To help deter home burglaries…Have motion sensor lighting, and also an option are cameras – even one that does not record still can put off a person considering where to break in and it can give you a view outside from inside. Double bolts are good, too, she said.

14) Windows – one neighbor found that there is a security film that can be put on windows instead of having bars put up and it seems like pretty amazing stuff that is worth looking into. 3M makes some and I am calling to see if they give group discounts! I’ll let you know what I hear – I don’t have a price at all yet, so it may be very expensive.

15) I am adding this one sorta spontaneously…even though we have the Guardian Angels here, maybe we can even go out in groups of 4 or more for fast night hikes where we are out of our houses and aware… going for walks at night in small groups in your own neighborhood is a way of creating a positive vibe all around and it increases safety for everyone…right?

Someone noted the website for tracking (reported) crimes in the area, which is: http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/crimewatch/

There was some discussion about carrying weapons – but that is a very personal decision and you MUST know what you are doing with whatever you choose if you choose one! Don’t carry something you don’t know how to use and don’t feel confident using or it will be used on you! Christina mentioned that even a trial size of Lysol or hairspray can be a safe “weapon” to carry because sprayed in the eyes it is not comfortable.

Okay, that is mostly it for the moment! Please keep in touch with us and everyone and let’s completely change the climate here in terms of crime and make it a safe place to be for everyone.

MUCH Friendship & see you all around a lot!

Sasha

MTG: 11-03-09

Hi Lake Neighbors…

We meet next for our regular meeting on: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3RD @ Regeneration Church @ 6:30pm

We got what we needed to get done done…we established a core group of neighbors to make sure we can pull together in case of emergencies. There are so many varied circumstances – as long as it is one that involves us keeping our power and cell phone ability, then connecting over any situation is pretty easy because we are already so connected. Suzanne and Tank are going to establish a phone tree of the CORE people (anyone can be a core person, we are just identifying the people we see showing up the most…if you want to be one of those folks, just say so and we will put you into the mix). If something happens that compromises our power and cells then we will have radio/walkie-talkies and we also have established a location where we will all meet to decide how to proceed with whatever comes up which is the small block of East 17th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues. ANYONE can show up there should something happen, not just the people working on this at the moment.

We also agreed that as a group of committed core people we should have at least our own households set by having the “to-go” bag and what we need for 3 days (minimum, more is great). We are also inventorying our abilities and equipment (camping, 1st aid, etc.) that can be shared with all. We are looking into the best radio/walkie-talkie plan we can all do and we will email all with that once we know (Sean is contacting our CORE II instructor).

That can all be set in a few weeks.

From there we will build more – connecting with LMBA hopefully and more specifically Lucky’s and Walgreens when it is up and running – they will want neighborhood support because they may be targeted for looting, etc. and that can be a 2nd location as well as Regeneration who will always be up for getting involved in any way to help.

We also want to approach managers of apartment buildings to include/streamline organization around serious events.

Also, Sharleshia is going to look into how to join any plans the city/districts have going on. Core group people keep an eye out for an email with the basic info we talked about...

WE MAY HAVE A MOVIE ON HALLOWEEN -- we are picking a creepy one for the occasion (Coraline is probably going to be the headliner with some Halloweeny short cartoons beforehand). The Halloween trunk or treat is in the evening from 5 to 8pm in the regen parking lot.


BY THE WAY...happy hour in the hood was really fun! We WILL do it again for sure.


OKAY...That's it for now. See you in the neighborhood a lot!


MUCH Friendship,

Sasha

MTG: 10-06-09

The Lake Neighbors

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING MINUTES (10/6/09)

Hi Lake Neighbors! The main issue discussed was Disaster Preparedness and I will highlight that discussion. After that, we mostly covered events and that follow.

As a group we identified a location to come to should we have a major disaster event. This is our current operating plan and it is up for adjustments as we get better prepared/trained….we just need to have something in place right now.

The agreed first choice location to meet and work from: The block of E. 17th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues – we will have a workplace set up with what we have there with the different yards/fences and garages…It is close enough to everything and also tucked out of the way from bigger streets – it is small enough for easy containment. IF SOMETHING UNFORSEEN IS WRONG WITH THIS LOCATION AT THE TIME OF DISASTER…2nd place to go to then will be Regeneration Church. More than likely whatever we make happen will be a combination of places.

We meet in 2 weeks (10/20) Tuesday night at 6:30 pm at Regeneration’s church Café to set up emergency packs (we are hoping to invite a woman Sharleshia knows who sells these at a reasonable price…$35?). Please try to make it if you want to be involved. At that time we will also map out our houses and number them in case we need to assign tasks, etc.

In the mean time, over the next week:

· Collect water, and water treatment items

· Collect canned foods

· Collect basic medicines

· Get walkie talkies – we use channel 90 (they are $20 ea. @ home depot)

· Keep gas tanks over ½ full as a practice

· Suzanne has a commitment to collect herbal 1st aid (she is an herbalist – she is also planning to hold classes for this soon if you have specific needs, she can design classes around those)

· Jessica will email me the handout she gave at the meeting to help people plan (we want to prepare for 7 days on own)

· Next meeting a woman named Gabriana will try to be there (she is a neighbor – who also sells insurance as there was an interest in equake insurance at the meeting.

We may try to have a fundraiser at the next outdoor movie to collect items for e-prep (emergency preparedness)

CORE UPDATE: CORE III Training is available ONLY at their site @ Mills College…they do not have dates set yet, but next set will be in Jan/Feb & we can put our names on the list now (it will most likely be 1 eve. 6:30-9 for 3 weeks and then a Saturday class)

ALSO…MAKE UP CLASSES FOR CORE 1: 11/3 6:30 9pm Mills College & MAKE UP CLASSES FOR CORE 2: 11/10 6:30 9pm Mills College

WATCH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS vigilantly – crime is WAY up and we have to pull together. Call or Email Officer Scott Hewitt (shewitt@oaklandnet.com ). Suzanne reported that her friend was held up at gunpoint (several guns, several assailants) at 6th & E. 15th at 10pm. Remember to track these things because Sean is looking to start a neighborhood patrol soon – keep a log of times of day and incidences so we can plan accordingly.

FUN:

HAPPY HOUR IS HERE…almost! THIS Thursday (TODAY!) between 6 & 7pm, cruise by and say hello and visit at the combined porches of Sasha & Hector AND Jessica & Richard on E. 17th between 3rd & 4th Ave. We are right in the middle of our tiny little block & we will be easy to find. Happy hour for us is NOT necessarily alcohol related – just happy.

Next movie night – Steve Ma’s Jam Fest PART 2 is this coming Saturday (was parceled because of the weather – he wants to follow with a movie which will start soon after 7pm because it is getting darker earlier now. He needs our help pitching in – please try to be there to help. Contact me if you are able. JAMFEST PART 2 starts earlier in the day on Saturday (10/10) 3 to 6pm over by Woody’s…the Movie follows at 7pm or soon after.

HALLOWEEN Trunk or Treat – Bring your car (can be decorated to be Halloweeny) and park at Regen Parking lot on E. 15th St. and 3rd Ave with treats in the trunk for kids to have…for more info check in with Dave Kim – you can email me and I will pass on questions and I can re-announce and update as I get more info. Sounds like a fun thing, to do, though, right?


TEA FUNDRAISER AT THE FARM…SUNDAY 10/25 (and every last Sunday of the month) will be Bee Tea at Funktown farm to fundraise – $5 gets you all the tea and tea food you want and helps the farm raise money (this time for bees!!!!).


THE PARKWAY: Steve Ma let us know about an effort on the part of the iliketheparkway people to secure some time at The Parkway Theatre over the holidays but this is fraught with obstacles and challenges and may not be possible. We will let you know if we hear more!


FYI: The group was interested in offering help to the people living in the house that recently burned down (@ East 18th St. & 5th Ave.) – I contacted the Red Cross to see if we could do anything to help out and they said that all their needs have been met.

OTHER FYI: Steve Ma let us know that the next LMBA (Lake Merritt Business Association) meeting will be on Tuesday 10/13 from 12-1 and that there will be a representative for “Streetscapes Improvement Project” that is slated to bring their improvement efforts ($1.7 mil) to E. 18th and also up Park in 2010. The meeting is held in an office right next to Woody’s Café.

See you all over the neighborhood,

Sasha

CORE Fall Update

Greetings from CORE!

The Fall 2009 edition of Esprit de CORE is now available online at http://www.oaklandnet.com/fire/core/esprit.html. Highlights include features on The Great California ShakeOut, 2-1-1 and H1N1 Flu. (Having trouble opening our files? You can download Adobe Reader at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.)

Are you ready to ShakeOut? Join millions of other Californians on October 15, 2009 at 10:15am (10/15 at 10:15) in the largest “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill in history! This statewide event is free, and all CORE volunteers are encouraged to learn more and register to participate at www.ShakeOut.org. Share the information with your coworkers, classmates, friends and family – then register to participate as a whole group, or as individuals. Resources and suggestions for every type of participant is available for free from the ShakeOut website. Visit http://www.shakeout.org/participants.php?county=Alameda to see the breakdown of who is already registered in Alameda County! (As of September 3rd we have more than 25,000 signed up!)

Almost twenty years have passed since the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake which caused 70 fatalities and over 3,700 injuries, damaged over 18,000 homes, and collapsed sections of the Bay Bridge and Interstate 880. On Saturday, October 17, 2009 the City of Oakland will host an emergency preparedness from 3:00 to 5:30pm at Cypress Freeway Memorial Park, on Mandela Parkway between 12th and 14th Streets. Oakland community members and dozens of other agencies are invited to “Honor, Reflect and Prepare” on the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. More information will be shared with CORE volunteers as it is available.

Stay safe this holiday weekend! General safety tips about extreme heat, barbeques, wildfires and other topics are available at http://www.oaklandnet.com/fire/core/emergencyprepare.html.



Thank you for your continued commitment to emergency preparedness.





Kaity Booth

CORE Emergency Planning Coordinator

Communities of Oakland Respond to Emergencies

Oakland Fire Department, Office of Emergency Services

Tel: 510.238.6351 ~ Fax: 510.238.7761

www.oaklandcore.org

Garden Update: 07-19-09

Hi!

Gardeners and friends of Funk Town!! Guess what? I think we have enough gardeners to go ahead and go forward with a schedule!! Please look over the duties to follow and decide which ones (one) you are willing to commit too. If you would like to try it for a month, (or even a week or two) to see if it fits in your schedule that is FINE. Please just let me know. If you are able to make a longer commitment that would be great, but NO pressure! I would ask though, that if you don't specify "week trial" to me, that you give me a weeks notice before you stop watering, weeding, etc.
After you have chosen a duty I'll email you the specifics, and if necessary we can meet up and go over what exactly that duty consists of. I will also give you the gate code so you can come and go from the garden as you choose.
Note, you may choose more than one duty, or change duties as you go, please just give me a weeks notice if you choose to change duties. It would be great if we could all end up training new people as they come in in our areas of (learned) expertise.
THIS IS YOUR GARDEN! It is such a blessing that we are able to share such a special endeavor.


I know a lot of you have just come on board and may not have seen the project vision, so following is the vision for Funk Town Farm;


Funk Town Farm is a community garden behind 219 East 15th Street in Oakland. We are a group of novice and experienced gardeners who want to grow our own produce (and flowers) to use and sell on a sliding scale in the ReGeneration parking lot on Sunday mornings. We also want to raise chickens to have eggs to sell and use, as well as involve the community in "sponsoring a chicken" and composting. Ultimately we would like to provide our neighbors with the opportunity to have fresh organic fruit, veggies and eggs no matter what their socioeconomic status may be.
We feel that gardening as a community not only is a service to that community but to the gardeners as well. Gardening slows us down in an otherwise hectic city, reminding us what is real. We believe that there is no anxiety that digging in the dirt cant cure. We believe that human beings are meant to spend time outdoors. We believe in removing cement. We believe that getting dirty is good not bad. We believe that we can cut back our garbage sent to the landfill by composting AND use it to grow things at the same time. We believe that bugs are better than pesticides. We believe that the taste and smell of a tomato just off the vine can change hearts. We believe that we were created to dig side by side and share stories. We believe that is is true that "God made dirt and dirt wont hurt".


Here is a list of duties;
(Please choose one or two or even three)
An hour worth of work=1 basket of fresh veggies, fruit or flowers at the end of the week*


1.Watering (1/2 hour) Monday, Weds, Friday or Sunday
2.Weeding (1/2 hour) Monday, Thurs, Saturday
3.Chicken feeding/egg gathering and sorting (30minutes) Everyday needed. note: you can earn eggs with this chore
4.Fertilizing Plants (1XWeekly.. day flexible)
5.Pruning and "dead heading" (1XWeekly.. day flexible)
6.Planting (2hours2X per month)
7.Harvesting (1 hour 1Xweek)
8.Organising and bagging harvest for market and give away(2 hours per week can be split between 2 people)
9.Compost turning and watering (15minutes) Monday, Weds, Friday
10.Making sure tools, seeds etc are organized (15 min per week)
11.Resourcing (1 hour per week) This includes tracking down items on craigslist etc.. and organizing pick ups.
12.Letter writing for donations (1-2 hours per month)


*this does not include eggs (to get earn eggs please see Chicken Sponsor email, or choose feeding of chickens as duty)

Let me know what you think you may want to do! I am so excited!!!! Oh, and if you haven't seen the garden yet.. email me and I'll take you back!

-Daphne

PS. If ANYONE knows ANYONE that is a grant writer and wants to trade for organic produce let me know! We don't need, but really, really WANT a grant or two!!!


PSS..PLEASE FWD this email to anyone you know who may be interested in the project. I don't have everyone's email! :) Thanks!

MTG: 05-13-09

Hi Lake Neighbors...!

Great meeting last night. Lots to share with everyone...I'll try to make it brief/easy to get through -- try to read it all!

Guests: our PSO Scott Hewitt, Peter & Tony from 'iliketheparkway"

OUR NEXT MEETING DAY & TIME: MAY 26TH @ 6:30PM (possibly @ Regeneration Church again if that is okay? Dave?)



Please let us know what time/day is better for you if you are unable to come that night -- so if you could either make sure to be there or email me with alternative meeting times that would help me a lot. Thank you!

We have 2 new OUTDOOR MOVIE times/days:

May 30th (in the same place and time as the last one),
BTW, the winner with 8 votes for the next movie is: THE INCREDIBLES!
and… June 13th (over beside Woody's Laundromat, same time as usual)

We need a volunteer crew!!!! Please contact me if you are free and able!!!! We meet up at around 6 or so to set up.

It might also be fun if someone has a portable outdoor grill so we can make s'mores -- also, FYI, stop by someplace and get takeout for a picnic -- or even have pizza delivered right to the parking lot! Steve Ma just donated 35 bags of popcorn!!! PLEASE BRING CHAIRS or BLANKETS/PILLOWS TO SIT ON!!!!

Shawn is going to look over our current Google group site and determine how to best establish & maintain a website for all the possibilities our group can create.



We are officially joining forces as Lake Neighbors with Lake Merritt Business Association (LMBA) and iliketheparkway to make regular outdoor movies happen -- as well as other neighborhood events that claim a safer neighborhood for us all. Envision all you can about what else we can get involved with together and put it out there.

iliketheparkway's news for us: Sign onto the website to keep up to date -- the positive outcome of the tragedy is the massive joining of community over this and how we are all coming together to create something even more fulfilling to our needs in the Parkway (and hey, now we have a grassroots organization, we can go far beyond that for unlimited possibilities!). There is strong support with Pat Kernighan's office, investors are being sought & found, much news media & orgs like Oaklandish (and ours) are all joining in...there is a community meeting on 5/23 for all to go to. Over the next year they hope to see renovations @ parkway, multiple bidders on what can be put in place there, community involvement re: decisions about that, more family options there, sustainable functioning there as well...

PSO Scott Hewitt came to share info & answer our concerns/questions. What it all came to boils down to the following:
It is SO important that we call in/email everything that concerns us (you see someone standing in one location dealing, you see someone hopping a fence, you see someone paying a lot of attention to a house or car and it is not theirs -- you know -- any of that...big or small. Everything that gets called in adds up to solving many crimes much of the time. His email is: shewitt@oaklandnet.com OR you may call the OPD non-emergency @ 510 777-3333 (emergency # is: 510 777-3211 -- put it in your cell, it's faster than 911). Drug hotline is 510 238-DRUG. Call, call, call...he says. The more we make contact, the more police presence we will have in our neighborhood. ALSO...did you know that those tied-together-shoes that get thrown up on a phone line are a signal of a place to buy drugs? So is a jacket put up on a sign post. We determined that most crime in our area is goal oriented towards STUFF and it will often involve violence towards a person...not so much the other more heinous stuff we won't get into. ALWAYS look around at the faces you see -- let them see you see them and what they look like and say a greeting...it makes you less of a good target. Stay off your cell phone when walking around -- if you are distracted you are a better target OR if you are on your cell, look around you all the time and pay obvious attention to your surroundings. Lighted areas make things safer in general. Keep computers/laptops, ipods and backpacks ALWAYS out of sight in your car. Usually try to walk around at night with someone -- and still always make it obvious that you know and see what/who is around. Metal plates on doors by the mechanism make it much harder for break-ins. ALSO, keep your computer/electronics serial numbers in case of theft so it can be easily identified (it is often re-sold at the flea) and/or engrave your name.

One other great aspect was the human factor in having our group begin to know our PSO! We want to really build a real, human teamwork with them. Officer Hewitt is a Gold Medalist in the Police Olympics so people really should not bother to try to outrun him.

ONE GOOD REALIZATION we had and agreed on happened conversation included "territory X#" and other "territory X#"...and we felt that as a group we wanted to be just known as ALL neighbors of The Lake. Anyone around who feel they live at or near Lake Merritt are us.



OKAY…that is it for now! Please write and respond soon! See you at our next meeting and in the neighborhood before that!



MUCH Friendship,

Sasha

MTG: 05-04-09

Hi Lakepeeps!

Okay, this is a late post-meeting email...but this way it makes it a closer-to-the-day reminder about our next meeting, so what the heck. BTW, our next meeting is May 12th at 6:30pm at Regeneration Church -- bring something to share.

Thank you Matlena and John for being such wonderful hosts -- we didn't get a lot done in terms of decisions and issues on the groups agenda because we had a low turn out this time...we decided to keep our meetings either at Regen or Woody's because the turn out seems to be stronger when we do that. I'm not sure that Tuesdays are the best day for now -- maybe once the school semesters ends we'll get some of the older members back in the loop. It MAY be time to do a poll about availability again. When are you/aren't you free?

The only updates we have: Rich is going to run our soil tests by a scientist friend (Heather) for us...and our PSO was unable to make it at the last minute because he had a case/arrest he was working on. He said he would make our next meeting.

One thing we did decide was a great idea was to keep the outdoor movies going BECAUSE IT WAS GREAT! Even with the technical difficulties. Steve Ma...do you want to join forces with this now or soon? We want to keep doing it -- we had so much fun with it we almost want to do them more frequently than once a month-- but that is just beginners enthusiasm probably...? We thought a good "time" to tell people would be 1/2 hour after sundown. We talked about using rafts to sit in and watch a movie that had water as a major feature...order pizzas...we need to emphasize that people bring their own chairs...also isn't it a good idea to bring a portable grill and have smores? We are looking at May for our next movie and we are starting a movie list to vote on in advance. I think we might re-vote when we want to add movies and always take the top vote -- that way we can add to the menu when we want to.

MTG: 04-20-09

Hi Lake Peeps...

Before I get into the overview of our great () meeting @ Woodys...

GUESS what! We got our soil test results back & it is attached FYI. I thought I'd send it right out even though I have not had a lot of time to go through it yet.

ALSO...our next meeting is going to be held at Matlena & John's home (1629 4th @ E. 17th -- the door on the left).
@ 6:30 on 4/28. It is potluck as usual!

OKAY, now about our meeting last Tuesday @ Woody's Cafe (THANK you again, Steve Ma for letting us have our meeting there and taking over your space). Attendees: Suzanne, Tank, Steve Ma (& brother Robert), Tracey, Matlena, John, Zak, Robert, Cristine (& Wendy), Britanny, Darrin, Shawn, Sasha & Hector.

GARDEN NEWS:
Walgreens Garden: Discussed solutions about access post renovations. Following the renovation we will lose the corridor portion of the garden space. Walgreens has said they don't want to have gardener traffic in their drive through road way, so we have to figure out options. Still, we decided that our first choice is to see if there is any way to gain an entryway through Walgreens property instead of creating a throughway on a private property. Second choice will be through Sasha & Hector's backyard (we would have garden hours & make sure gate kept secure, etc. -- also some gate modifications would have to be made at a shared cost for the group). Sasha will check with Walgreens again to discuss options & to also ask if they could plan water access for us in their renovations (& to confirm whether they are keeping the ground level as is or lowering it significantly).

EMERGENCY PLANNING:
Jessica can hopefully email out the emergency packet she put out. I sent out something else that Hector got @ work and we have CORE coming in July. Remember to mark your calendars for CORE I (7/20) & CORE II (7/28) @ Regen 6:30-9pm.

Brittany has a LOT of storage to offer for our group. Suzanne & Brittany to duo

1WAY ST (on E.17th bet. 3rd/4th) AND LIGHT TIMING (@ 5th/Foothill):
Dave & Rich dealing with the petition for the 1way...Robert to pursue assessment via traffic engineering department for the VERY LONG light on 5th/Foothill.

FUN:
Movie night is coming up!!! We are on for 4/25 @ dusk in the Regen Parking lot. Don't miss it!!! The flyer is revised and attached for anyone to share. This outdoor movie will be a test run to get our skills down and then we will seek greater community involvement later with Steve Ma of Woody's & LMBA fame who has been trying to get this going on a larger scale for a while now and we will join forces (in May?). Claiming the neighborhood for safe nightime activities is a GREAT cause for all of us and we hope we can help this flourish. Bring your friends and family to the movie on 4/25!

Steve Ma has many things pending and will let us know. He is always seeking artist for his events and we have SO many greatly talented musicians and artists -- please give him your info: steviewoodys@sbcglobal.net

CRIME & SAFETY:
We are inviting our PSO (problem solving officer) Scott Hewitt to our next meeting & he will try to make it to that one or one following -- bring any questions and concerns you have!

THE PARKWAY:
Darrin (of iliketheparkway.com) came and updated us (Steve Ma also had some info) -- it seems as though the owners of the Speakeasy have no current plans of returning (although I guess one never knows). The last stragglers holding on (I was one!)
not wanting anything but Speakeasy there are more comfortable supporting a different business there if the Speakeasy folks do not want to be there any longer. We will see what unfolds. Make sure you make it to the BBQ in the park across from Rooz (the one with the Borax mules) to learn more and to get involved. You can also contact iliketheparkway.com or the facebook group. Our councilmember Pat Kernighan has been very involved with this whole situation.

OTHER:
A new antenna and repeater will go up as soon as we can get the time to get it all together! The antenna work crew is established: Hector, John and Brittany. We will use Woody's or Brittany's building -- depending.
Tank is working with Veggie boxes and can have one delivered to you (until we get a garden going, this is a great offer!). Talk to Tank to find out more. Or maybe Tank, you can send us some prices and details and I can send it out to all.

See you ALL @ Matlena & John's!

Sasha