When it comes to preventing illegal sideshows before they take place, there is not much progress being made on that front, according to one East Bay city leader whose district contains a popular location for sideshows.
This was the scene last weekend where 42nd Avenue meets the High Street on-ramp to the Interstate 880 freeway in Oakland. An illegal sideshow in the intersection, numerous spectators in the street and on the on-ramp, blocking traffic in all directions.
“It occurs here on a regular basis,” Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo said.
This section of town is in Gallo’s district.
He says preventing a sideshow from taking place on city streets remains a major challenge for law enforcement.
“The challenge is when the sideshows occur unless we see it or get notified that it is going to happen,” Gallo said. “It is hard for us to come together and take police action.”
In fact, he says other Bay Area cities are experiencing the same problem stopping sideshows before they get started.
“The problem has grown to other locations too from Antioch, Vallejo, and so forth, the Bay Bridge,” Gallo said. “I am really surprised to what is going on there, but I can say in Oakland it has decreased in some areas, but you have this site that has been an ongoing attraction.”
The most effective deterrent is impounding sideshow vehicles.
“I think we have to be more assertive and enforce the law,” Gallo said. “It’s very clear that if we catch you with the sideshow activity, we can cite you and I can get to take your car from you.
It is not clear if that message is getting out there or sideshow participants know they are taking a risk of getting their vehicles impounded and doing it anyway.
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