Gathering Acorns While the Forest Burns

"Last year Oakland residents hosted 224 [National Night Out] block parties, up from 156 the year before. As of Wednesday, organizers had exceeded the goal of 300 block parties by three, according to Claudia Albano, Oakland's neighborhood services manager." (Oakland Tribune, Aug. 2, 2007)

"Oakland police are investigating two more fatal shootings that occurred Saturday night and Sunday morning, bringing to eight the number of homicides in the city since Thursday morning. ... It [the homicide rate] is just behind its pace of last year." (San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 6, 2007, the day before National Night Out)

Oakland residents who participate in National Night Out are doing something positive. The preference for gestures over action is at City Hall.