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Oakland Thugs Riot in Concord
When Oakland thugs rioted at a hip-hop event in Concord, they discovered resources and resolve to deal with disruption that are lacking in permissive Oakland.
The outgoing owner of the Bourbon Street Bar and Grill booked a hip-hop event for Dec. 17, 2006. By then, the new owner was in charge. A crowd of several hundred people showed up, many from Oakland and liberally sprinkled with thugs who have no respect for those around them.
After the club filled to its capacity of 250, the owner turned away 100 or more people and ordered the doors closed. In Oakland, some club owners think they have every right to let a situation get out of hand and do nothing.
The refused attendees began to cause disturbances, and half a dozen brawls broke out among them. Neighbors began calling police about the disturbance. Concord police responded. Oakland police want to respond, but often they do not have available officers.
Surveying the scene, Concord police ordered the crowd to disperse. Oakland police are aware of ambiguous official attitudes; some councilmembers want to treat "cultural" events with kid gloves. In fact, the council has granted more than $1.5 million to a social agency called Youth UpRising at a time when it promotes sideshow culture and celebrates a variant of rap called "hyphy."
As reported in the Oakland Tribune, Concord officers set up a skirmish line to push the crowd away from the club doors, subduing one brawler with a Taser. Another man, who later fled, was bitten by a police dog. Two Oakland men were arrested. (Oakland Tribune, Dec. 19, 2006)
Oakland police feel they must curb their responses, knowing that the department, hemmed in by a bureaucratic web of restrictions called the Settlement Agreement, will scrutinize every tactical detail with an eye to writing up officers for misconduct. And the city attorney is all too ready to settle lawsuits from people claiming they were mistreated.
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The Management of Bourbon Street Bar & Grill would like to extend our deepest sympathies for all of the friends and families of those involved in the tragic events of Sunday night/Monday morning. Bourbon Street Bar & Grill was not responsible for the actions of the booking agent, Savage Productions, for the content of the show on Sunday night. We were informed that the show would be a Winter Party/DJ'd Music event that was intended to draw our normal/ regular clients to the club. When management discovered that the content of the show was not as originally promised, we stopped the show and closed the club. We are no longer affiliated with Savage Productions and Bourbon Street Bar & Grill will continue to produce and promote the same quality of Rock and Roll shows that we have been known for since 2000.
The club website posted this announcement, displaying a sense of responsibility to the community that is unknown to some Oakland club owners.
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The new owner of the Concord club said he will hold no more hip-hop events. He will meet with police about preventing any similar disturbances. The contrast with some Oakland club owners is stark.
Nevertheless, Concord, unfortunate enough to be within driving distance of Oakland, suffered a spillover of Oakland thuggery. The dispersed crowd attempted to stage sideshows in the city, but police responded quickly. As disappointed rioters drove back to Oakland on highway 24, a man stood up in the sunroof of an old Mazda RX-7 and fired gunshots at an SUV right on the freeway. CHP officers located the SUV in Oakland, but the victims were uncooperative about providing information of the incident.
– Dec. 19, 2006
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